CVE-2023-49774
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in WP Photo Album Plus WordPress plugin allows unauthorized actors to bypass IP-based access controls, exposing sensitive information that should be restricted. It affects all WordPress sites running WP Photo Album Plus versions up to 8.5.02.005. Attackers can access protected photo albums and content without proper authorization.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Photo Album Plus 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
Complete exposure of all protected photo albums containing sensitive images, personal data, or proprietary content to any internet user.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to some protected photo albums, potentially exposing personal photos, sensitive content, or intellectual property.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure if additional security layers exist, but still violates intended access controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple IP bypass vulnerability that requires minimal technical skill to exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 8.5.02.006 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-photo-album-plus/wordpress-wp-photo-album-plus-plugin-8-5-02-005-ip-bypass-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find WP Photo Album Plus
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. If no update shows, download latest version from WordPress.org
6. Deactivate, upload new version, then reactivate
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable IP-based access control
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable IP restriction feature until patched
Remove plugin temporarily
allDeactivate WP Photo Album Plus if not critically needed
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block suspicious access patterns
- Add additional authentication layer (HTTP basic auth) to protect the affected paths
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → WP Photo Album Plus version. If version is 8.5.02.005 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name='wp-photo-album-plus' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After update, verify version shows 8.5.02.006 or later in WordPress plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed access attempts to protected album URLs from unauthorized IPs
- Successful access to /wp-content/plugins/wp-photo-album-plus/ paths from unexpected sources
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to album endpoints with suspicious parameters
- Traffic spikes to photo album URLs
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("wp-photo-album-plus" OR "album") AND (status=200 OR status=403) AND NOT src_ip IN [allowed_ips]