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CVE-2023-1405: Formidable Forms WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Allowing PHP Object Injection

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Overview

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has identified a significant vulnerability, CVE-2023-1405, in the Formidable Forms WordPress plugin version 6.2 and earlier. This vulnerability allows anonymous users to perform PHP Object Injection, potentially compromising system integrity and exposing sensitive data. Given the extensive use of WordPress plugins, this vulnerability is a cause for concern for administrators and users alike.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2023-1405
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

Formidable Forms WordPress Plugin | Before 6.2

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability arises from the Formidable Forms WordPress plugin’s insecure handling of user input. The plugin unserializes user input without proper validation, which could allow an attacker to inject malicious PHP objects. These objects, when executed, could lead to arbitrary code execution, allowing an attacker to gain unauthorized access and control over the system. Moreover, if a suitable gadget is present, the vulnerability can be exploited without any user interaction or privileges.

Conceptual Example Code

Given the nature of this vulnerability, an attacker could exploit it by sending a POST request with a malicious payload. Below is a conceptual example of such a request:

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "action": "frm_forms_preview", "form": {"form_id": "1", "form_key": "form_key", "item_meta": {"0": "a:1:{i:0;O:8:\"stdClass\":1:{s:4:\"test\";s:15:\"malicious_code\";}}}"}} }

In this example, the “malicious_code” represents the injected PHP object. If successful, this injection can lead to unauthorized system access.

Mitigation

To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to immediately apply the vendor-supplied patch. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, temporary mitigation can be achieved by employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to identify and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.

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