Simple Membership: Improper Privilege Management
CVE-2022-2273 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in Simple Membership, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 4.1.3 as the first without the flaw, so updating Simple Membership to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 1.18% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 68% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Simple Membership to 4.1.3 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Membership | Simple Membership | 4.1.3 up to, but not including, 4.1.3 | 4.1.3 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
Official description
The Simple Membership WordPress plugin before 4.1.3 does not properly validate the membership_level parameter when editing a profile, allowing members to escalate to a higher membership level by using a crafted POST request.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Privilege Management
The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
- Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
- Consider following the principle of separation of privilege. Require multiple conditions to be met before permitting access to a system resource.
More Improper Privilege Management vulnerabilities (CWE-269)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)
- wpscan.com/vulnerability/724729d9-1c4a-485c-9c90-a27664c47c84Exploit, Third Party Advisory
Other vulnerabilities in Simple Membership
- 9.4 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
Recent Improper Privilege Management vulnerabilities
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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