CVE-2023-2499
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication in WordPress sites using the RegistrationMagic plugin. By exploiting insufficient verification during Google social login, attackers can log in as any existing user (including administrators) if they have access to the user's email address. All WordPress sites running vulnerable versions of the RegistrationMagic plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- RegistrationMagic (Custom Registration Form Builder with Submission Manager) WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site takeover where attackers gain administrative access, potentially leading to data theft, defacement, malware injection, or complete system compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers gain unauthorized access to user accounts, potentially escalating privileges to administrative roles and compromising sensitive data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, strong authentication controls, and monitoring are in place to detect unauthorized access attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only access to target user's email address and knowledge of the vulnerability. Public proof-of-concept exists in security advisories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.2.1.1 and later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find RegistrationMagic plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update is available. 5. Alternatively, download version 5.2.1.1+ from WordPress plugin repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Google Social Login
allTemporarily disable the Google social login feature in RegistrationMagic plugin settings until patched.
Disable RegistrationMagic Plugin
linuxDeactivate the RegistrationMagic plugin completely until a patched version can be installed.
wp plugin deactivate custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network-level restrictions to limit access to WordPress admin and login pages to trusted IP addresses only.
- Enable multi-factor authentication for all user accounts, especially administrative accounts, to add an additional layer of protection.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Installed Plugins → RegistrationMagic version. If version is 5.2.1.0 or lower, the site is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the plugin version shows 5.2.1.1 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual login patterns from unexpected IP addresses
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful login via Google social login
- User privilege escalation events in WordPress logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to /wp-admin/ or login pages
- Requests to RegistrationMagic Google login endpoints from suspicious sources
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (event="user_login" OR event="auth_failed") AND user_agent CONTAINS "RegistrationMagic" AND src_ip NOT IN [trusted_ips]🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager/tags/5.2.0.4/services/class_rm_user_services.php#L791
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=2912481%40custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager&new=2912481%40custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/87ec5542-b6e7-4b18-a3ec-c258e749d32e?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager/tags/5.2.0.4/services/class_rm_user_services.php#L791
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=2912481%40custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager&new=2912481%40custom-registration-form-builder-with-submission-manager&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/87ec5542-b6e7-4b18-a3ec-c258e749d32e?source=cve
