CVE-2023-49861
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Social Media Feather WordPress plugin that allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels. It affects all WordPress sites running Social Media Feather versions up to 2.1.3, potentially allowing unauthorized access to administrative functions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Social Media Feather 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 plugin settings, inject malicious content, or potentially escalate privileges to gain administrative control of the WordPress site.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users could change social media sharing settings, modify display configurations, or access plugin functionality intended only for administrators.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and authentication requirements, impact would be limited to authorized users only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires some level of access to the WordPress site but not necessarily administrative privileges.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.1.4 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Find Social Media Feather
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. Alternatively, download version 2.1.4+ from WordPress repository
6. Deactivate, delete old version, upload and activate new version
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Temporary Plugin Deactivation
allDisable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate social-media-feather
Access Restriction via .htaccess
linuxRestrict access to plugin files
# Add to .htaccess in wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Deactivate the Social Media Feather plugin immediately
- Implement strict access controls and monitor for unauthorized changes to plugin settings
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Social Media Feather version numberCheck Version:
wp plugin get social-media-feather --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 2.1.4 or higher in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized access attempts to plugin admin pages
- Unexpected changes to social-media-feather settings
Network Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with social-media-feather actions
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("social-media-feather" OR "socialmediafeather") AND ("admin" OR "ajax") AND status=200