CVE-2023-6316
📋 TL;DR
The MW WP Form WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files due to insufficient file type validation. This vulnerability affects versions up to and including 5.0.1, potentially enabling remote code execution on vulnerable WordPress sites.
💻 Affected Systems
- MW WP Form WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Mw Wp Form by Mw Wp Form Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete server compromise via remote code execution, leading to data theft, malware deployment, or site defacement.
Likely Case
Attackers upload web shells to gain persistent access, execute arbitrary commands, or deploy ransomware.
If Mitigated
File uploads blocked or sanitized, preventing malicious file execution while maintaining form functionality.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP POST requests with malicious files can exploit this vulnerability without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.0.2
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3003065/mw-wp-form
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find MW WP Form and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 5.0.2 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the MW WP Form plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate mw-wp-form
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock file uploads to MW WP Form endpoints.
Add WAF rule to block POST requests containing file uploads to /wp-content/plugins/mw-wp-form/
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file upload validation at web server level
- Restrict execute permissions on upload directories
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > MW WP Form version. If version ≤ 5.0.1, vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get mw-wp-form --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 5.0.2 or higher in WordPress admin.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file uploads to MW WP Form endpoints
- POST requests with executable file extensions to plugin paths
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests with file uploads to /wp-content/plugins/mw-wp-form/
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/wp-content/plugins/mw-wp-form/" AND method="POST" AND (file_extension="php" OR file_extension="exe" OR file_extension="sh")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mw-wp-form/tags/5.0.1/classes/models/class.file.php#L60
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3003065/mw-wp-form#file15
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b2c03142-be30-4173-a140-14d73a16dd2b?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mw-wp-form/tags/5.0.1/classes/models/class.file.php#L60
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3003065/mw-wp-form#file15
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b2c03142-be30-4173-a140-14d73a16dd2b?source=cve
