CVE-2024-43925 in Envira Photo Gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/01/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Envira Gallery Team Envira Photo Gallery allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Envira Photo Gallery: from n/a through 1.8.14.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2024
The CVE-2024-43925 vulnerability represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the Envira Photo Gallery plugin, specifically impacting versions ranging from unspecified initial release through 1.8.14. This vulnerability stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels that permit unauthorized users to exploit the gallery's administrative functionalities. The issue fundamentally compromises the plugin's ability to properly verify user permissions and roles, creating a pathway for malicious actors to bypass intended security boundaries. Such a flaw directly violates core security principles of access control and privilege management, where proper authorization checks should prevent unauthorized access to sensitive operations and data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through inadequate validation of user credentials and role-based permissions within the gallery's administrative interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform actions typically restricted to administrators or authorized users, including but not limited to modifying gallery settings, uploading malicious files, deleting content, or accessing protected media assets. The flaw operates at the application level where the plugin fails to properly authenticate requests before executing privileged operations, creating a direct attack surface that can be leveraged for privilege escalation and unauthorized modifications. This misconfiguration aligns with CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms and represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege enforcement.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling full compromise of the affected WordPress installation. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can manipulate gallery configurations, inject malicious code through media uploads, or gain persistence within the system through modified gallery settings. The implications are particularly severe given that photo gallery plugins often handle user-uploaded content and may be configured with broad permissions. This vulnerability can facilitate more advanced attacks such as privilege escalation to administrator accounts, data exfiltration, or serving as a foothold for lateral movement within the network. The attack vector typically involves crafting malicious requests that bypass the standard authorization checks, potentially through parameter manipulation or direct API endpoint access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-43925 require immediate action including updating to the latest available version of the Envira Photo Gallery plugin where the authorization flaw has been addressed. System administrators should conduct thorough security assessments of all installed plugins to identify similar misconfigurations and ensure proper access control mechanisms are implemented. The remediation process must include verifying that all user roles and permissions are properly enforced, implementing robust authentication checks for administrative operations, and conducting regular security audits of plugin configurations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation, monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities, and maintaining up-to-date security patches across all WordPress components to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation and highlights the need for continuous security validation of web application components. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this issue under privilege escalation and unauthorized access techniques, emphasizing the need for proper access control mechanisms and the potential for lateral movement within compromised systems.