Social Metrics Tracker Information Disclosure Scanner

Social Metrics Tracker is a WordPress plugin used by website administrators to monitor and track the popularity of their posts across social media platforms. It provides valuable insights by showing the number of shares, likes, and interactions on various social networks, making it beneficial for content creators and marketers who want to understand their audience engagement better. The plugin is mainly utilized by blog owners, digital marketers, and businesses that rely heavily on social media presence to drive traffic and measure the effectiveness of their content. By integrating with platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Digg, and Pinterest, this plugin allows users to analyze and optimize their posting strategies. It is a comprehensive tool aimed at enhancing the visibility of blog posts and improving their reach across social media channels.

The vulnerability detected in the Social Metrics Tracker plugin allows unauthorized data export, specifically compromising the confidentiality of information. This involves improper authorization while exporting information about the posts and pages of a website, exposing sensitive user details. Such vulnerabilities mainly stem from insufficient access control measures, enabling unauthorized users to access information meant for authorized personnel only. The issue primarily revolves around failing to properly validate user permissions, making sensitive data accessible through manipulation of the export feature. Exposing user information can lead to unauthorized data access, breaches, and possible reputational harm to affected websites.

Technical details of the vulnerability point to inadequate authorization checks in the data export function of the plugin. This flaw allows unauthorized users to trigger and download exports via the plugin's admin-ajax.php endpoint. The vulnerable endpoint is accessible without user authentication, posing a significant security risk. The parameter `smt_download_export_file` can be manipulated to successfully exploit this vulnerability by unauthenticated users. As such, attackers can gain access to exported data files that include sensitive information such as post authors' usernames and emails. The overall lack of user permission checks prior to file export is the core cause of this security issue.

Potential effects of exploiting this vulnerability include unauthorized access to users' private data, leading to privacy breaches and identification of authors behind blog posts. This could be exploited in phishing schemes, unauthorized data aggregation, or even identity theft if sensitive author details are exposed. The consequences also extend to possible misuse of data for competitive analysis or reputational damage if sensitive information is leaked. Essentially, what is meant to be private user data becomes publicly accessible, greatly amplifying the risk of personal data misuse and subsequent legal implications.

REFERENCES

• https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/f4eed3ba-2746-426f-b030-a8c432defeb2