How to Fix CVE-2023-1874- A High Severity Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in WP Data Access WordPress Plugin?

Once again, a critical vulnerability is detected in a WordPress plugin, putting websites at risk. This time the vulnerability is detected in the WP Data Access plugin. WordPress plugin with over 10,000 active installations as of the date of publishing this post. It is a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows an authenticated attacker to gain administrative privileges by exploiting the ‘Role Management’ setting in a profile update. This post will provide an overview of the vulnerability with tips on how to keep your WordPress site secure. Let’s start this post with the introduction of the plugin, then we go over the summary of the vulnerability, and  WP Data Access versions affected, and finally how to fix CVE-2023-1874, a high severity privilege escalation vulnerability in WP Data Access WordPress Plugin.

WP Data Access WordPress Plugin- A Short Introduction

WP Data Access is a powerful WordPress plugin that allows users to create professional, responsive data tables quickly and easily. The plugin features an intuitive table builder that supports a variety of features and allows users to make layout and behavior changes to almost any element of a DataTable through an advanced options section.

One of the key features of WP Data Access is its support for data tables of any size. This is made possible by the plugin’s use of the famous DataTables plugin for jQuery, which provides powerful support for manipulating large datasets within a browser.

Understanding the Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in WP Data Access WordPress Plugin

This is a high-severity privilege escalation vulnerability that stems from its Role Management feature. When enabled, it grants an authenticated attacker the ability to escalate their privileges to an administrator level via a profile update. This can lead to severe consequences, including unauthorized access, data theft, and complete control over the affected website.

The Security Vulnerability in WP Data Access Plugin

The WP Data Access plugin provides a feature called role management, which allows site owners to create custom roles and assign multiple roles to different users. The issue arises due to insufficient authorization checks in the multiple_roles_update function, making it possible for authenticated attackers with minimal permissions, such as subscribers, to modify their user roles [1].

Attackers can take advantage of this security flaw by supplying the wpda_role[] parameter during a profile update, which requires the “Enable role management” setting to be enabled for the site. This vulnerability allows users with limited permissions to assign themselves any role, including administrative roles, without proper authorization.

Exploiting the WP Data Access Plugin’s Security Flaw

To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker needs to be an authenticated user with minimal permissions, such as a subscriber. When updating their profile, they can manipulate the wpda_role[] parameter to change their user role to an administrative role or any other role with higher privileges. This unauthorized role change can grant the attacker access to sensitive site features and data, posing a significant security risk to the website. Please visit the blog for more technical details.

WP Data Access WordPress Plugin Versions Affected by CVE-2023-1874

All the versions of the WP Data Accessplugins which are less than and equal to v5.3.7 are vulnerable to the flaw. It is good to take swift action to fix the CVE-2023-1874 Vulnerability.

How to Fix CVE-2023-1874- A High Severity Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in WP Data Access WordPress Plugin?

To fix CVE-2023-1874, which is a vulnerability affecting WP Data Access plugin versions up to and including 5.3.7, you will need to update the plugin to the latest patched version, which is version 5.3.8.

The developer of WP Data Access, Peter Schulz, released the patch on April 6, 2023, in response to the vulnerability being reported by the Wordfence Threat Intelligence team. We strongly recommend that you update your site’s WP Data Access plugin to the latest version as soon as possible to protect against any potential attacks.

To update your WP Data Access plugin, follow these steps:

After updating the plugin, make sure to also check if your site’s “Role Management” setting is enabled. If it is, we recommend that you disable it as an added precaution to prevent any potential exploits.

Fixing CVE-2023-1874 is as simple as updating your WP Data Access plugin to the latest patched version, which is version 5.3.8, and disabling the “Role Management” setting if enabled.

We hope this post would help you know how to fix CVE-2023-1874, a high-severity privilege escalation vulnerability in WP Data Access WordPress Plugin. Please share this post if you find this interested. Visit our social media page on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Telegram, Tumblr, Medium and Instagram and subscribe to receive updates like this.

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