Divi Form Builder WordPress Plugin Missing Authorization Vulnerability

Executive Summary

The Divi Form Builder plugin for WordPress has a vulnerability called Missing Authorization in versions up to and including 5.1.8. This happens because the update_user() function accepts a user ID from form submissions without checking if the logged-in user has permission to edit that user account. Additionally, the handle_register_submission() function only verifies if any user is logged in, rather than confirming permissions for the specific target user.

As a result, an authenticated attacker with subscriber-level access or higher can change the email address and password of any user account, including administrators, which can lead to complete account takeover.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to take over any user account, including administrators, by changing email addresses and passwords without proper authorization checks.

Such unauthorized access and account takeover can lead to exposure or manipulation of personal data, which may violate data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA that require strict access controls and protection of user information.

Therefore, this vulnerability could negatively impact compliance with these standards by undermining the security and privacy controls mandated to protect sensitive user data.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows an attacker who is logged in with at least subscriber-level access to change the email address and password of any user account on the affected WordPress site.

This means the attacker can take over administrator accounts, gaining full control over the website, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data theft, site defacement, or other malicious activities.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should update the Divi Form Builder plugin to a version later than 5.1.8 where the issue is fixed.

Ensure that only trusted users have subscriber-level access or higher, as authenticated users with such access can exploit this vulnerability.

Review user permissions and monitor for any unauthorized changes to user accounts, especially changes to email addresses and passwords.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves unauthorized changes to user accounts via the Divi Form Builder plugin's update_user() and handle_register_submission() functions. Detection would focus on monitoring for unexpected changes to user email addresses and passwords, especially for administrator accounts, originating from authenticated users with subscriber-level access or above.

Since the vulnerability allows authenticated users to change other users' credentials without proper authorization, you can detect exploitation attempts by auditing WordPress user modification logs or database changes related to user accounts.

Suggested commands or methods include:

• Check WordPress user modification logs or audit logs for unexpected changes to user email or password fields.
• Use database queries to identify recent changes to the wp_users table, for example, by checking the user_registered or user_pass fields for unexpected updates.
• Example MySQL command to find recent changes to user emails or passwords (adjust timestamps as needed):
• SELECT ID, user_login, user_email, user_registered FROM wp_users WHERE user_registered > 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS';
• Monitor web server logs for POST requests to endpoints related to the Divi Form Builder plugin that include user ID parameters or user modification actions.
• Use WordPress security plugins or monitoring tools that track user account changes and alert on suspicious activity.

Note: Specific commands depend on your environment and logging setup. There are no direct commands provided in the available resources.

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