ElementsKit Vulnerability – Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Exposure – CVE-2023-6582 | WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Report

Q: Is my WordPress site at risk?

Is my WordPress site at risk? If you have the ElementsKit Elementor addons plugin installed in any version up to and including 3.0.3, then yes, your site is at risk. Though the vulnerability score is moderate at 5.3 CVSS, it still allows unauthorized users some access to view private content. Any site owners using this plugin should update.

Q: What could an attacker actually access on my site?

What could an attacker actually access on my site? An attacker could view draft posts, pending posts scheduled for future dates, and other content types you have marked private. Financial documents, personally identifiable user information, or unpublished articles are examples of sensitive information that could get exposed.

Q: Do I need to update ElementsKit if I'm not using Elementor?

Do I need to update ElementsKit if I'm not using Elementor? Yes. The vulnerability applies to the ElementsKit plugin itself, not specifically Elementor. So even if you use ElementsKit addons with other page builders or don’t build pages with it at all, you should still update to close this security flaw.

Q: What steps should I take to update ElementsKit?

What steps should I take to update ElementsKit? First, log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the Plugins section. Check if you have ElementsKit listed and the specific version number. If it is version 3.0.3 or lower, then you need to update. Click “Update Now” and confirm updating to the latest version.

Q: How do I know if my site has been compromised?

How do I know if my site has been compromised? Carefully check your user access logs in WordPress for any unknown users or suspicious access attempts. Also browse all content types like posts, media, and pages for anything unexpected. Attackers may have viewed but not altered anything. If significant unchanged traffic comes from an unknown IP, it may be malicious.

Q: Should I switch from ElementsKit to an alternate plugin?

Should I switch from ElementsKit to an alternate plugin? As an added precaution, switching to a different plugin offering similar widget and page building functionality could be wise until ElementsKit establishes a longer secure update track record. Many quality Elementor addons plugins exist to choose from as alternatives.

Q: What if I have other out of date plugins?

What if I have other out of date plugins? You should develop a comprehensive plan for keeping all plugins updated on a regular basis. Sign up for update notifications, schedule plugin checks on your calendar, or consider a managed WordPress hosting provider who can handle this maintenance burden for you behind the scenes.

Q: How could ElementsKit have allowed this vulnerability?

How could ElementsKit have allowed this vulnerability? The specific flaw lies with the ekit_widgetarea_content function lacking proper authentication checks. So a coding mistake during development led to exposing some data. However, the ElementsKit team’s very quick turnaround fixing this indicates they take security seriously.

Q: How can I prevent future vulnerabilities on my site?

How can I prevent future vulnerabilities on my site? Staying on top of updates for all plugins and WordPress itself can prevent future threats but represents an ongoing time commitment. Ensuring strong user access restrictions, minimizing unnecessary plugins, and considering managed hosting solutions are proactive measures to reduce exposure.

Q: What resources can help me better secure my WordPress site?

What resources can help me better secure my WordPress site? WordPress.org publishes extensive security hardening guides with technical measures you can implement. The Google Web Fundamentals guide also covers common steps for preventing threats. Consider security plugins like Wordfence as well. Reach out anytime if you need personalized help auditing and locking down your website!

By Your WP Guy | January 8, 2024

Plugin Name: ElementsKit Elementor addons

Key Information:

Software Type: Plugin
Software Slug: elementskit-lite
Software Status: Active
Software Author: xpeedstudio
Software Downloads: 15,802,981
Active Installs: 1,000,000
Last Updated: January 9, 2024
Patched Versions: 3.0.4
Affected Versions: <= 3.0.3

Vulnerability Details:

Name: ElementsKit Lite <= 3.0.3
Title: Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Exposure
Type: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CVE: CVE-2023-6582
CVSS Score: 5.3
Publicly Published: January 8, 2024
Researcher: Nex Team
Description: The ElementsKit Elementor addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.3 via the ekit_widgetarea_content function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to obtain contents of posts in draft, private, or pending review status that should not be visible to the general public. This applies to posts created with Elementor only.

Summary:

The ElementsKit Elementor addons for WordPress has a vulnerability in versions up to and including 3.0.3 that allows unauthenticated attackers to expose sensitive information via the ekit_widgetarea_content function. This vulnerability has been patched in version 3.0.4.

Detailed Overview:

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability by using the ekit_widgetarea_content function, leading to the exposure of draft, private, or pending review posts created with Elementor. The risk involves the unauthorized access to sensitive information that should not be visible to the public. To remediate this vulnerability, users are strongly advised to update to version 3.0.4.

Advice for Users:

Immediate Action: Update the ElementsKit Elementor addons plugin to version 3.0.4 or later.
Check for Signs of Vulnerability: Monitor your site for any unauthorized access or exposure of sensitive information.
Alternate Plugins: Consider using alternative plugins that offer similar functionality as a precaution.
Stay Updated: Regularly update your WordPress plugins to the latest versions to avoid vulnerabilities.

Conclusion:

The prompt response from the ElementsKit Elementor addons developers to patch this vulnerability underscores the importance of timely updates. Users are advised to ensure that they are running version 3.0.4 or later to secure their WordPress installations.

References:

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/wordpress-plugins/elementskit-lite

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/wordpress-plugins/elementskit-lite/elementskit-lite-303-unauthenticated-sensitive-information-exposure

Detailed Report:

Staying Ahead of Website Security Threats

Keeping your WordPress website secure can feel like an endless game of catch-up if you don't have the time or technical skills to stay constantly vigilant. I aim to make that job easier by clearly explaining recent threats, like the vulnerability disclosed this week affecting over 1 million websites using the popular ElementsKit Elementor addons plugin. In this post, I’ll provide practical advice to safeguard your site regardless of your technical expertise or available time.

Understanding the ElementsKit Vulnerability

ElementsKit Elementor addons is a widely used plugin that extends Elementor page builder functionality. This week, a security researcher publicly disclosed a vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-6582, affecting all versions up to and including 3.0.3. With over 15 million total downloads and 1 million active installs, this plugin is popular but contains a flaw allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Specifically, the vulnerability stems from the `ekit_widgetarea_content` function allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to view private posts and other sensitive information that should not be publicly accessible. The researchers determined this could enable exposure of draft, pending, or private posts created using Elementor.

The ElementsKit team has quickly responded by releasing version 3.0.4 to patch this particular flaw. However, users of older versions face substantial risk until updating.

Assessing Your Risks

The researchers rated this vulnerability at 5.3 on the CVSS scale, a relatively moderate but still concerning risk, especially for sites containing truly sensitive data. The flaw allows attackers to access information without authentication rather than directly modify or destroy data.

Still, information exposure can enable further exploitation. Attackers could potentially access financial documents, personally identifiable information, unpublished content, and other records that website owners prefer keeping private prior to publication. Plus, vulnerabilities like this underscore the general security risks that come with outdated plugins.

What Website Owners Can Do

If you use ElementsKit Elementor addons on your WordPress site, you should take action:

- Immediately update to version 3.0.4 or newer to patch this specific flaw.

- Check your site for any signs unauthorized users accessed non-public information. Look for unexpected user access in logs and closely verify nothing seems compromised.

- Consider replacing ElementsKit with alternate plugins offering similar functionality until fully assessing the security impact.

- Sign-up for plugin update notifications and schedule regular checks to ensure you catch future vulnerability patches. Set calendar reminders if manually monitoring all your plugins proves difficult.

Staying Proactively Secure

WordPress plugins continue to suffer newly discovered vulnerabilities, so site owners face an ongoing battle to stay secure. ElementsKit itself has faced previous publicized flaws, including another information disclosure bug in late 2021.

While staying on top of every threat and regularly updating every plugin sounds exhausting for small business owners or bloggers, a few proactive precautions can effectively minimize risks between fixes:

- Maintain reasonable site access controls through tools like cloud firewalls to detect unauthorized access attempts even if vulnerabilities lurk.

- Limit plugins to only those absolutely necessary and actively maintained. Reducing your plugin attack surface cuts down vectors.

- Consider managed WordPress hosting providers that handle software updates for you behind the scenes, removing that responsibility from your plate.

Avoiding Future Vulnerabilities

As a business owner, you don't have time to constantly monitor for WordPress vulnerabilities like this. At Your WP Guy, we become your outsourced IT team to handle security, updates, maintenance and support. Let us fully audit your site and plugins to assess any impact from this issue. We'll update everything to patched versions so you can rest easy knowing your site is locked down.

Focus on your business goals while we focus on your WordPress site's security. Chat with us anytime during business hours, schedule a call or call 678-995-5169 for a free consultation on securing your online presence.

Is my WordPress site at risk?

What could an attacker actually access on my site?

Do I need to update ElementsKit if I'm not using Elementor?

What steps should I take to update ElementsKit?

How do I know if my site has been compromised?

Should I switch from ElementsKit to an alternate plugin?

What if I have other out of date plugins?

How could ElementsKit have allowed this vulnerability?

How can I prevent future vulnerabilities on my site?

What resources can help me better secure my WordPress site?

WordPress.org publishes extensive security hardening guides with technical measures you can implement. The Google Web Fundamentals guide also covers common steps for preventing threats. Consider security plugins like Wordfence as well. Reach out anytime if you need personalized help auditing and locking down your website!

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Posted in Security, Vulnerabilities and tagged CVE-2023-6582, ElementsKit, Plugin Updates, Plugin Vulnerability, securing wordpress, Website Maintenance, Website Security, WordPress, wordpress plugins, wordpress security