LimitLoginAttempts.php in the limit-login-attempts-reloaded plugin before 2.17.4 for WordPress allows a bypass of (per IP address) rate limits because the X-Forwarded-For header can be forged. When the plugin is configured to accept an arbitrary header for the client source IP address, a malicious user is not limited to perform a brute force attack, because the client IP header accepts any arbitrary string. When randomizing the header input, the login count does not ever reach the maximum allowed retries.
The product does not implement sufficient measures to prevent multiple failed authentication attempts within a short time frame, making it more susceptible to brute force attacks.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limit_login_attempts_reloaded | Limitloginattempts | * | 2.17.4 (excluding) |
Common protection mechanisms include:
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
Consider using libraries with authentication capabilities such as OpenSSL or the ESAPI Authenticator. [REF-45]