CVE-2023-3295 – This vulnerability in the Unlimited Elements Fo... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-3295?

CVE-2023-3295 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability in the Unlimited Elements For Elementor WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level permissions or higher to upload arbitrary files due to missing file type validation. This can lead to remote code execution on affected WordPress sites. The issue affects versions up to and including 1.5.66.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in the Unlimited Elements For Elementor WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level permissions or higher to upload arbitrary files due to missing file type validation. This can lead to remote code execution on affected WordPress sites. The issue affects versions up to and including 1.5.66.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Unlimited Elements For Elementor (Free Widgets, Addons, Templates) WordPress plugin

Versions: Up to and including 1.5.66

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires authenticated user with contributor-level permissions or higher. Partially patched in 1.5.66, fully patched in 1.5.67.

📦 What is this software?

Unlimited Elements For Elementor by Unlimited Elements

View all CVEs affecting Unlimited Elements For Elementor →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full server compromise through remote code execution, allowing attackers to install backdoors, steal data, deface websites, or use the server for further attacks.

🟠

Likely Case

Attackers upload web shells to gain persistent access, execute arbitrary commands, and potentially escalate privileges to compromise the entire WordPress installation.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper file upload restrictions and security controls, impact is limited to potential file storage abuse without code execution.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires contributor-level WordPress credentials. The vulnerability is in file manager functionality with missing file type validation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 1.5.67

Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/unlimited-elements-for-elementor/trunk/inc_php/unitecreator_assets.class.php#L1005

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Unlimited Elements For Elementor'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If not available, download version 1.5.67+ from WordPress.org and manually update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable plugin

all

Temporarily disable the Unlimited Elements For Elementor plugin until patched

wp plugin deactivate unlimited-elements-for-elementor

Restrict file uploads

linux

Implement server-side file upload restrictions via .htaccess or web server configuration

# Add to .htaccess:
<FilesMatch "\.(php|php3|php4|php5|phtml|pl|py|jsp|asp|sh|cgi)$">
  Order Allow,Deny
  Deny from all
</FilesMatch>

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Remove contributor and higher permissions from untrusted users
Implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious file uploads

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Unlimited Elements For Elementor → Version. If version is 1.5.66 or lower, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin get unlimited-elements-for-elementor --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify plugin version is 1.5.67 or higher in WordPress admin panel.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual file uploads to wp-content/uploads/unlimited_elements/
POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=ue_upload_file
Files with .php, .phtml, or other executable extensions in upload directories

Network Indicators:

HTTP POST requests with file uploads to WordPress admin endpoints from contributor-level users

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND ("ue_upload_file" OR "unlimited_elements" AND "upload")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-3295

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-434

Published: June 17, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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