CVE-2023-6813: Auth0/wordpress Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-x6p7-44rh-m3rr
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-6813 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Auth0/wordpress libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves login by auth0 plugin for wordpress vulnerable to reflected cross-site scripting. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.6.1.

CVE-2023-6813 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-6813
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x6p7-44rh-m3rr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Auth0/wordpress
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-6813

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Auth0/wordpress dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

auth0/wordpress fixed: 4.6.1 
Upgrade auth0/wordpress to 4.6.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for auth0/wordpress

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-6813, inspect your project dependencies for Auth0/wordpress:

inspect dependencies for auth0/wordpress

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Auth0/wordpress in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.6.1), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Auth0/wordpress, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact The Auth0 WordPress plugin allows site administrators to opt-in to allowing the use of a `wle` parameter, which can be passed to the WordPress login page by end users. When this parameter is supplied using an expected value (which is randomly generated by the plugin, by default), the end user can fallback to using WordPress' native authentication behavior. (This is generally intended as an emergency fallback for administrators to still be able to access their dashboard in the event something goes wrong.) In previous versions of the plugin, under specific conditions, this parameter could potentially accept an arbitrary string that would be improperly rendered, potentially allowing for a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack on the login page. ### Patches Please upgrade to v4.6.1 of the plugin to resolve the issue.

CVE-2023-6813 Affected Auth0/wordpress Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.6.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
auth0/wordpress
 Packagist
< 4.6.1
4.6.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/auth0/wordpress/security/advisories/GHSA-x6p7-44rh-m3rr
NVD — CVE-2023-6813 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-6813
Auth0/wordpress Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/auth0/wordpress
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3114611%40auth0&new=3114611%40auth0&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulner... WEB
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/0c4e0d48-fde1-45dd-8e06-4582cf677579?source=cve

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-6813?
CVE-2023-6813 is a security vulnerability in Auth0/wordpress involving Login by Auth0 plugin for WordPress vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Auth0/wordpress versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.6.1 across affected packages: auth0/wordpress.
What version fixes CVE-2023-6813?
Upgrading to 4.6.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is auth0/wordpress affected?
Yes, auth0/wordpress is affected in releases prior to 4.6.1. Upgrade your dependency to 4.6.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-6813?
CVE-2023-6813 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-6813?
CVE-2023-6813 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-6813?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for auth0/wordpress'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-x6p7-44rh-m3rr",
  "modified" : "2024-07-11T19:52:16Z",
  "published" : "2024-07-11T19:52:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-6813" ],
  "summary" : "Login by Auth0 plugin for WordPress vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting",
  "details" : "### Impact\nThe Auth0 WordPress plugin allows site administrators to opt-in to allowing the use of a `wle` parameter, which can be passed to the WordPress login page by end users. When this parameter is supplied using an expected value (which is randomly generated by the plugin, by default), the end user can fallback to using WordPress' native authentication behavior. (This is generally intended as an emergency fallback for administrators to still be able to access their dashboard in the event something goes wrong.)\n\nIn previous versions of the plugin, under specific conditions, this parameter could potentially accept an arbitrary string that would be improperly rendered, potentially allowing for a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack on the login page.\n\n### Patches\nPlease upgrade to v4.6.1 of the plugin to resolve the issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "auth0/wordpress"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.6.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.6.0"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/auth0/wordpress/security/advisories/GHSA-x6p7-44rh-m3rr"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-6813"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/auth0/wordpress"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3114611%40auth0&new=3114611%40auth0&sfp_email=&sfph_mail="
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/0c4e0d48-fde1-45dd-8e06-4582cf677579?source=cve"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-07-11T19:52:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}