WPFront User Role Editor Cross-Site Request Forgery Vulnerability Allowing Privilege Escalation

A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability has been identified in the WPFront User Role Editor plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions through 4.2.1. The issue arises from inadequate nonce validation in the whitelist_options() function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to manipulate the default role option. This could be exploited for privilege escalation if an attacker tricks a site administrator into clicking a link or performing a similar action. The vulnerability is only applicable to multisite WordPress instances.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized changes in user roles, allowing attackers to gain elevated privileges on the affected WordPress site.

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, an attacker must send a forged request to a WordPress site with the WPFront User Role Editor plugin installed, version 4.2.1 or earlier. The request should target the whitelist_options() function without a valid nonce, which can be achieved by tricking an administrator into clicking a link that initiates the request. This can be done through email, social media, or other messaging platforms.

Remediation

Users are advised to update the WPFront User Role Editor plugin to version 4.2.2 or later.