CVE-2023-39920
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authorization controls in the Redirection for Contact Form 7 WordPress plugin, potentially modifying redirect settings without proper permissions. It affects all WordPress sites using this plugin from any version up to 2.9.2. The issue stems from missing capability checks on certain administrative functions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Themeisle Redirection for Contact Form 7 WordPress Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could modify all redirect rules, potentially redirecting form submissions to malicious sites, stealing sensitive data, or enabling phishing campaigns.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users modifying redirect settings to redirect form submissions to attacker-controlled destinations for data harvesting or phishing.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and network segmentation, impact would be limited to the specific WordPress instance with no lateral movement.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires at least subscriber-level WordPress access. The vulnerability is in admin AJAX endpoints missing capability checks.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.9.3
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Redirection for Contact Form 7'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update to version 2.9.3+. 5. Verify plugin is active and functioning.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the Redirection for Contact Form 7 plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate wpcf7-redirect
Restrict user roles
allLimit WordPress user accounts to only necessary roles and review user permissions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall rules to block unauthorized access to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php endpoints related to the plugin
- Enable detailed logging of all plugin configuration changes and monitor for unauthorized modifications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Redirection for Contact Form 7' version 2.9.2 or lowerCheck Version:
wp plugin get wpcf7-redirect --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 2.9.3 or higher in WordPress admin plugins page📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action parameters like 'cf7_redirect_save_redirect_rule'
- Unexpected modifications to redirect settings in plugin configuration
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php from unauthorized user roles
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND http_method="POST" AND (form_data.action="cf7_redirect_save_redirect_rule" OR form_data.action="cf7_redirect_delete_redirect_rule")) AND NOT user_role="administrator"