CVE-2024-37276 in Featured Image from URL Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/01/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in fifu.App Featured Image from URL allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Featured Image from URL: from n/a through 4.8.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2024
The CVE-2024-37276 vulnerability represents a critical authorization flaw within the fifu.App Featured Image from URL plugin for WordPress systems. This security weakness stems from improperly configured access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to exploit the plugin's functionality without proper authentication or authorization. The vulnerability specifically impacts versions ranging from n/a through 4.8.1, indicating that all iterations within this range contain the same fundamental flaw in their security implementation. The issue manifests as a missing authorization check that should normally validate user permissions before granting access to featured image management capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under the CWE-863 category of Incorrect Authorization, where the system fails to properly verify that an actor has sufficient permissions to perform a requested action. This misconfiguration allows attackers to bypass normal access controls and manipulate featured image settings through the plugin interface. The flaw operates by failing to validate user roles or capabilities before executing administrative functions related to featured image management. Attackers can exploit this weakness to upload, modify, or delete featured images without possessing the appropriate administrative privileges, effectively undermining the WordPress role-based access control system.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for WordPress installations using the affected plugin. An attacker who gains access to a low-privilege account or can perform social engineering to obtain basic user credentials can escalate their privileges to perform administrative actions. The implications extend beyond simple image manipulation as featured images often serve as critical components in content presentation and can be leveraged for phishing attacks, defacement, or to compromise the overall integrity of the website. This vulnerability particularly affects websites that rely heavily on featured images for content organization and presentation, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to disrupt operations or compromise user trust.
The attack surface for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which focuses on valid accounts and credential access. Attackers can exploit this weakness by first obtaining legitimate user credentials and then leveraging the missing authorization checks to perform unauthorized actions. The mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to version 4.8.2 or later where the authorization flaw has been addressed. Additionally, administrators should implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the plugin's administrative interfaces and ensure that proper role-based access controls are enforced through WordPress core security configurations. Regular security audits of installed plugins should be conducted to identify similar authorization flaws, and implementing security monitoring solutions can help detect anomalous access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and conducting thorough security assessments of third-party plugins before deployment in production environments.