Overview
The vulnerability named CVE-2023-7239 is a critical error in the WP Dashboard Notes WordPress plugin, versions prior to 1.0.11. It concerns a flaw in the user access validation for post_id parameters in the wpdn_update_note AJAX action. This vulnerability can be exploited by malicious users with roles of contributor and above, enabling them to modify notes created by others. This could lead to potential system compromise or data leakage, causing significant damage to the affected parties.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-7239
Severity: High, CVSS 7.5
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low (Contributor role and above)
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
Product | Affected Versions
WP Dashboard Notes WordPress Plugin | Versions prior to 1.0.11
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises from the WP Dashboard Notes WordPress plugin not correctly validating user roles for the post_id parameter in the wpdn_update_note AJAX action. This allows users with a contributor role or above to make unauthorized modifications to notes created by other users, potentially leading to data corruption, system compromise, or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability could be exploited. This pseudocode simulates an AJAX request that could be used to exploit the vulnerability:
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=wpdn_update_note HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
post_id=123¬e_content=Malicious+content
In this example, the malicious user sends a POST request to the `wpdn_update_note` action with the `post_id` parameter set to a post they do not have access to and `note_content` containing the malicious modifications.
Mitigation
Users are advised to update the WP Dashboard Notes WordPress Plugin to version 1.0.11 or later, where this vulnerability has been fixed. If updating is not immediately possible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation.
