CVE-2024-9946 in Social Share, Social Login and Social Comments Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/06/2024
The Social Share, Social Login and Social Comments Plugin – Super Socializer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 7.13.68. This is due to insufficient verification on the user being returned by the social login token. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to log in as any existing user on the site, if they have access to the email and the user does not have an already-existing account for the service returning the token. An attacker cannot authenticate as an administrator by default, but these accounts are also at risk if authentication for administrators has explicitly been allowed via the social login. The vulnerability was partially patched in version 7.13.68.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2024
The CVE-2024-9946 vulnerability affects the Super Socializer plugin for WordPress, a widely used social sharing and login solution that enables users to authenticate via social media platforms. This authentication bypass flaw exists in all versions up to and including 7.13.68, representing a critical security weakness that undermines the integrity of user authentication processes. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation mechanisms within the plugin's social login token handling system, which fails to properly verify the authenticity of users returned by social media authentication providers.
The technical flaw manifests when the plugin processes social login tokens without sufficient verification of the user identity claims made by external authentication providers. This insufficient verification allows attackers to exploit the authentication flow by manipulating the token processing logic to impersonate existing users on the WordPress site. The vulnerability specifically targets scenarios where attackers possess a user's email address and the target user lacks an existing account with the social media service that is returning the authentication token. This creates a pathway for unauthenticated attackers to gain unauthorized access to legitimate user accounts, effectively bypassing the normal authentication mechanisms that should protect against unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can lead to full account compromise and potential privilege escalation within the WordPress environment. While the default configuration prevents attackers from directly accessing administrator accounts, the vulnerability remains dangerous because administrators can explicitly enable social login authentication for admin accounts through plugin settings. This means that if an administrator has enabled social login authentication, they become equally vulnerable to the same attack vector that affects regular user accounts. The partial patch implemented in version 7.13.68 suggests that the developers recognized the severity of the issue but may not have fully addressed all attack vectors, leaving some scenarios potentially exploitable.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems, and represents a classic case of weak session management and authentication token validation. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts obtained through social media platforms, and T1133, covering external remote services. The attack surface is particularly concerning given the widespread adoption of social login plugins in WordPress environments, where users often trust the social media authentication providers without additional security verification. Organizations using this plugin should immediately update to the latest version and review their social login configurations to ensure that administrative access through social platforms is not inadvertently enabled. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper authentication validation and the potential for seemingly minor implementation flaws to create significant security risks in web applications.
The remediation approach requires immediate plugin updates to version 7.13.68 or later, along with comprehensive security auditing of existing social login configurations. System administrators should implement additional authentication controls such as two-factor authentication for critical accounts and regularly review plugin access permissions. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual login patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly around the social login authentication endpoints. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level controls to restrict access to social login services and ensure that only legitimate authentication providers are trusted within their WordPress environments.