The JNews - Jeg Elementor Kit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on both the jkit_post_block and jeg_find_author AJAX actions in versions up to, and including, 3.2.19. The wp_ajax_jkit_post_block handler (registered generically for every element via wp_ajax_{$element_id} in Elements_Option_Abstract::setup_hook) returns the elements full option schema — including a freshly minted wp_create_nonce(jeg_find_author) — to any authenticated caller, and the wp_ajax_jeg_find_author handler then runs a WP_User_Query with the attacker-supplied query wrapped in … against search_columns that include user_email, echoing the ID and display_name of every matching user. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to enumerate every registered user of the site and to reconstruct arbitrary users email addresses one character at a time by using the substring search as an oracle.
Weakness
The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
Potential Mitigations
- Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) [REF-229] to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries.
- Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
- For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework [REF-233] and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature [REF-45].
- For web applications, make sure that the access control mechanism is enforced correctly at the server side on every page. Users should not be able to access any unauthorized functionality or information by simply requesting direct access to that page.
- One way to do this is to ensure that all pages containing sensitive information are not cached, and that all such pages restrict access to requests that are accompanied by an active and authenticated session token associated with a user who has the required permissions to access that page.
Related Attack Patterns
References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/jeg-elementor-kit/tags/3.2.19/lib/jeg-element/includes/class/class-ajax.php#L101
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/jeg-elementor-kit/tags/3.2.19/lib/jeg-element/includes/class/elements/class-elements-option-abstract.php#L106
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/jeg-elementor-kit/tags/3.2.19/lib/jeg-element/includes/class/elements/class-elements-option-abstract.php#L63
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3722837/jeg-elementor-kit
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/936186f9-185a-481e-a8df-5a2a3def9188?source=cve