CVE-2023-48753
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass IP-based access restrictions in the WordPress Restricted Site Access plugin by spoofing authentication. It affects all WordPress sites using the plugin from any version up to 7.4.1, potentially allowing unauthorized access to restricted content.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Restricted Site Access 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
Unauthorized users gain access to sensitive content, admin areas, or private data that should be restricted to specific IP addresses.
Likely Case
Attackers bypass IP restrictions to access content intended for internal users only, potentially exposing confidential information.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and additional authentication layers, impact is limited to the specific restricted content accessible through the bypass.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability involves authentication spoofing which is relatively straightforward to exploit once understood.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 7.4.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/restricted-site-access/wordpress-restricted-site-access-plugin-7-4-1-ip-restriction-bypass-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find Restricted Site Access plugin
4. Click 'Update Now' if update is available
5. Alternatively, download version 7.4.2+ from WordPress repository and manually update
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable plugin temporarily
allTemporarily disable the Restricted Site Access plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate restricted-site-access
Implement web server IP restrictions
linuxUse web server configuration (Apache .htaccess or Nginx config) to enforce IP restrictions instead of relying on the plugin
# Apache .htaccess example:
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
# Nginx example:
allow 192.168.1.0/24;
deny all;
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network-level IP filtering at firewall or load balancer
- Add additional authentication layer (HTTP basic auth, application-level login)
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Restricted Site Access → Version. If version is 7.4.1 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get restricted-site-access --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 7.4.2 or later in WordPress admin panel, then test IP restriction functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Access from unexpected IP addresses to restricted content
- Failed authentication attempts followed by successful access
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests bypassing expected IP restrictions
- Unusual traffic patterns to restricted URLs
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("restricted-site-access" OR "/wp-content/plugins/restricted-site-access/") AND (status=200 OR status=302) AND NOT src_ip IN [allowed_ip_range]🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/restricted-site-access/wordpress-restricted-site-access-plugin-7-4-1-ip-restriction-bypass-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/restricted-site-access/wordpress-restricted-site-access-plugin-7-4-1-ip-restriction-bypass-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
