Missing Authorization in FundEngine wp-fundraising-donation

Executive Summary

The vulnerability is a Broken Access Control issue in the WordPress FundEngine Plugin (versions 1.7.6 and below). It occurs because of missing authorization, authentication, or nonce token checks, which allows unauthenticated users to perform actions that should require higher privileges.

This means that attackers can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to carry out unauthorized actions on affected websites.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated users to perform higher-privileged actions due to missing authorization checks in the WordPress FundEngine Plugin versions 1.7.6 and below.

Detection can involve monitoring for unusual or unauthorized access attempts to the wp-fundraising-donation plugin endpoints, especially those that should require authentication.

While specific commands are not provided in the resources, typical detection methods include reviewing web server logs for suspicious requests targeting FundEngine plugin URLs and using intrusion detection systems (IDS) with rules to identify attempts to exploit broken access control.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow attackers to perform higher-privileged actions without authentication, potentially compromising the integrity of your website.

It is considered moderately dangerous and may be exploited in mass campaigns targeting thousands of websites, which could lead to unauthorized changes, data manipulation, or service disruption.

Immediate action is advised to prevent exploitation, such as updating the plugin to version 1.7.7 or later or applying mitigation rules.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability, which involves missing authorization and broken access control, can have significant implications for compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

• GDPR: The vulnerability allows unauthenticated users to perform higher-privileged actions, which could lead to unauthorized access to personal data. Under GDPR, organizations must implement appropriate technical measures to ensure data protection. Failure to do so, as in this case, could result in non-compliance, leading to potential fines and legal consequences if personal data is exposed or misused.
• HIPAA: For organizations handling protected health information (PHI), this vulnerability could result in unauthorized access to sensitive patient data. HIPAA requires strict access controls to ensure only authorized personnel can access PHI. A broken access control vulnerability directly violates this requirement, potentially leading to breaches and non-compliance penalties.

Additionally, the lack of proper authorization checks may undermine audit and accountability requirements under these regulations, as unauthorized actions may go undetected or untraceable.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation steps include updating the WordPress FundEngine Plugin to version 1.7.7 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed.

Until the update can be applied, it is advised to implement a mitigation rule provided by Patchstack to block attacks targeting this vulnerability.

Additionally, seeking assistance from your hosting provider or a web developer to apply temporary access controls or firewall rules can help reduce the risk.

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