CVE-2023-39993
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Wpmet Elements Kit Elementor addons plugin for WordPress. It allows unauthorized users to access functionality intended only for authenticated administrators. All WordPress sites using Elements Kit Elementor addons version 2.9.0 or earlier are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Wpmet Elements Kit Elementor addons (ElementsKit Lite)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Unauthenticated attackers could modify plugin settings, inject malicious content, or potentially escalate privileges to gain administrative control of the WordPress site.
Likely Case
Attackers could modify plugin configurations, add malicious widgets or content to pages, or disrupt site functionality.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and network segmentation, impact would be limited to unauthorized configuration changes within the plugin's scope.
🎯 Exploit Status
Missing authorization vulnerabilities typically require minimal technical skill to exploit once the attack vector is identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.9.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/elementskit-lite/wordpress-elementskit-lite-plugin-2-9-0-broken-access-control-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'ElementsKit Lite' and check for updates. 4. If update is available, click 'Update Now'. 5. Alternatively, download version 2.9.1+ from WordPress.org and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the ElementsKit Lite plugin until patched
Restrict admin access
allImplement IP whitelisting for WordPress admin area
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block unauthorized access to plugin endpoints
- Enable WordPress security plugins that monitor for unauthorized access attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins → ElementsKit Lite → Version. If version is 2.9.0 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=elementskit-lite --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the plugin version shows 2.9.1 or higher in WordPress admin.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with 'action' parameter containing 'elementskit' patterns
- 403 errors followed by successful 200 responses to admin endpoints
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php from non-admin IP addresses
- POST requests with elementskit-related parameters from unauthorized sources
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND http_method=POST AND (query="*action=elementskit*" OR form_data="*elementskit*")) AND NOT src_ip IN admin_ip_list