Privilege escalation in Minimal Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode plugin for WordPress

1) Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

EUVDB-ID: #VU24151

Risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 4.9 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-6166

CWE-ID: CWE-264 - Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to improper permission check in the "is_admin()" function. A remote user can export the plugin settings as a .txt file or modify the theme of the maintenance page on a vulnerable site.

PoC:

/wp-admin/admin.php?action=csmm_export_settings&redirect=/wp-admin/

/wp-admin/admin.php?action=csmm_activate_theme&theme=minimal&redirect=/wp-admin/

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Minimal Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode: 0.1 - 2.15

External links

http://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/10009/
http://www.wordfence.com/blog/2020/01/multiple-vulnerabilities-patched-in-minimal-coming-soon-maintenance-mode-coming-soon-page-plugin/

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote authenticated user via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.