CVE-2024-8199 in Reviews Feed Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/27/2024
The Reviews Feed – Add Testimonials and Customer Reviews From Google Reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and More plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'update_api_key' function in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update API Key options.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-8199 affects the Reviews Feed plugin for WordPress, a widely used tool that aggregates customer reviews from various platforms including Google Reviews, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. This plugin enables website administrators to display third-party reviews on their WordPress sites, enhancing credibility and user engagement. The vulnerability resides within the plugin's update_api_key function which fails to properly validate user permissions before allowing API key modifications. This represents a critical security flaw that directly violates fundamental principles of access control and privilege management in web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of a capability check within the update_api_key function, a common pattern that can be traced back to CWE-284 which describes improper access control mechanisms. The flaw allows authenticated attackers who possess Subscriber-level access or higher to manipulate API key configurations without proper authorization. This occurs because the plugin does not verify whether the requesting user has sufficient privileges to modify sensitive configuration parameters. The vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin up to and including version 1.1.2, indicating a long-standing issue that has not been properly addressed in the plugin's security architecture.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for WordPress site administrators who rely on the Reviews Feed plugin. Attackers with minimal privileges can potentially compromise the integrity of the review aggregation system by modifying API keys, which could lead to complete service disruption or unauthorized data access. The impact extends beyond simple data modification as it could enable attackers to redirect review feeds to malicious endpoints or disable legitimate review sources entirely. This vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to escalate their privileges or conduct further exploitation by manipulating the plugin's data sources, making it a particularly dangerous flaw in the context of WordPress security.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to system resources. Organizations using this plugin should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to the latest plugin version where the capability check has been properly implemented. Additionally, administrators should review user roles and permissions to minimize the risk of unauthorized access, and consider implementing additional monitoring for API key changes within the plugin's configuration. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and capability checks in web applications, particularly when dealing with sensitive configuration parameters that can affect system behavior and data integrity.