CVE-2024-6591 in Ultimate Auction Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/27/2024
The Ultimate WordPress Auction Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized email creation and sending due to a missing capability check on the 'send_auction_email_callback' and 'resend_auction_email_callback' functions in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.6. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to craft emails that include links and send to any email address.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2024
The Ultimate WordPress Auction Plugin represents a widely used tool for creating auction-based functionalities within wordpress environments however a critical security vulnerability has been identified in versions up to and including 4.2.6. This vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the plugin's email handling mechanisms specifically affecting two callback functions named send_auction_email_callback and resend_auction_email_callback. The absence of proper capability checks means that any unauthenticated user can exploit these functions to generate and dispatch email messages without authorization.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing capability verification within the plugin's core functionality where the send_auction_email_callback and resend_auction_email_callback functions fail to validate user permissions before executing email operations. This authorization bypass allows attackers to manipulate the email sending process through crafted requests that include arbitrary email addresses and potentially malicious content such as links. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-863 - Incorrect Authorization which classifies this as a failure to properly verify that an actor is authorized to perform a requested operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple spamming capabilities as it enables attackers to potentially conduct phishing campaigns, deliver malware through malicious links, or exploit the email infrastructure for further attacks. Since the plugin operates within wordpress environments attackers can leverage this vulnerability to compromise user accounts through social engineering or to disrupt legitimate email communications. The unauthenticated nature of the exploit means that even basic wordpress installations without proper user authentication mechanisms become vulnerable to this attack vector.
Organizations running affected versions of this plugin face significant risks including potential data exfiltration through malicious email content, reputation damage from spamming activities, and possible exploitation for more advanced attack chains. The vulnerability can be exploited through simple web requests without requiring any legitimate user credentials making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where attackers may not have direct access to administrative accounts. Mitigation strategies should include immediate plugin updates to versions that implement proper capability checks, implementation of web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious email sending patterns, and consideration of role-based access controls that limit email functionality to authorized administrators only. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1192 - Spearphishing Attachment which demonstrates how email-based attacks can be initiated through compromised plugin functionality. Additionally the weakness exemplifies ATT&CK technique T1566 - Phishing which occurs when attackers use the compromised email infrastructure to deliver malicious content to targets.