Recent security vulnerabilities have been identified within the Ninja Forms plugin for WordPress, allowing potential exploitation by malicious actors to escalate their privileges and access sensitive information. These vulnerabilities, cataloged as CVE-2023-37979, CVE-2023-38386, and CVE-2023-38393, affect versions 3.6.25 and earlier. According to a report from Patchstack, the plugin is utilized on more than 800,000 websites.
The vulnerabilities present a significant risk to WordPress site administrators and users. The first, CVE-2023-37979, is a reflectively based cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw carrying a CVSS score of 7.1. This vulnerability permits unauthenticated users to manipulate privileged users into visiting a crafted site, potentially leading to privilege escalation on the target site.
The other two vulnerabilities, CVE-2023-38386 and CVE-2023-38393, relate to broken access control in the feature that allows for the export of form submissions. These flaws could allow users with Subscriber and Contributor roles to extract all submissions made via Ninja Forms on WordPress sites, raising concerns about data privacy and management.
It is advised that all users of the plugin update to version 3.6.26 to shield themselves against these identified threats. Given the sheer volume of sites utilizing Ninja Forms, the implications for security are considerable, and timely patching could prevent unauthorized data access.
The announcement regarding these vulnerabilities coincides with Patchstack’s disclosure of another reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability affecting the Freemius WordPress SDK. This flaw, identified as CVE-2023-33999, affects versions prior to 2.5.10, posing similar risks for privilege escalation.
Furthermore, Patchstack has uncovered a critical privilege escalation issue in the HT Mega plugin, specifically CVE-2023-37999, found in versions 2.2.0 and below. This vulnerability allows any unauthenticated user to attain elevated privileges equivalent to any role on the respective WordPress site, further emphasizing the need for vigilance in maintaining updated plugins.
When examining the potential tactics used by adversaries in exploiting these vulnerabilities, several from the MITRE ATT&CK framework come to light. Initial access may be granted through social engineering tactics, particularly in the case of CVE-2023-37979, while privilege escalation techniques are evident in all three identified vulnerabilities, highlighting an ongoing pattern of exploitation aimed at misconfigurations and insufficient access controls.
The emergence of these vulnerabilities serves as a critical reminder for WordPress site administrators and business owners to remain proactive in their cybersecurity strategies. Regular updates, security assessments, and adherence to best practices can greatly mitigate the risks posed by such vulnerabilities, ensuring that sensitive data on WordPress sites remains protected.
This latest vulnerability disclosure underscores the vital importance of comprehensive security measures in the increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape. Business owners must prioritize staying informed and implementing all necessary defensive actions to protect their digital assets effectively.
