CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-10783NVD status: Deferred

MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP…: Missing Authorization

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2024-10783 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites from MainWP, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites versions: 5.3.3 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 2.33% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 84% of scored CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
MainwpMainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites5.3.3 and earlierNot stated

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
HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
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:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (wordfence.com).

Official description

The MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation due to a missing authorization checks on the register_site function in all versions up to, and including, 5.2 when a site is left in an unconfigured state. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to log in as an administrator on instances where MainWP Child is not yet connected to the MainWP Dashboard. IMPORTANT: this only affects sites who have MainWP Child installed and have not yet connected to the MainWP Dashboard, and do not have the unique security ID feature enabled. Sites already connected to the MainWP Dashboard plugin and do not have the unique security ID feature enabled, are NOT affected and not required to upgrade. Please note versions up to 5.3.3 contained a patch, though a bypass was discovered and not addressed until version 5.3.4.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Missing Authorization

The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
  • Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records. For example, a database may restrict access for medical records to a specific database user, but each record might only be intended to be accessible to the patient and the patient's doctor.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature.

More Missing Authorization vulnerabilities (CWE-862)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites

All MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites vulnerabilities

Recent Missing Authorization vulnerabilities

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