CVE-2007-2828 in adsense-deluxe
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in adsense-deluxe.php in the AdSense-Deluxe 0.x plugin for WordPress allows remote attackers to perform unspecified actions as arbitrary users via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2017
The CVE-2007-2828 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the AdSense-Deluxe WordPress plugin version 0.x series. This vulnerability exists in the adsense-deluxe.php file and enables remote attackers to manipulate user sessions and execute unauthorized actions on behalf of arbitrary users without their knowledge or consent. The flaw stems from inadequate validation of request origins and missing anti-CSRF tokens in the plugin's administrative interfaces, creating a significant security risk for WordPress installations using this particular plugin version.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions. When a victim with administrative privileges visits a compromised page or clicks on a malicious link, the attacker can leverage the missing CSRF protection mechanisms to perform actions such as modifying ad settings, changing plugin configurations, or potentially executing arbitrary code within the WordPress environment. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities and falls under the broader category of web application security flaws that undermine the integrity of user sessions and authorization mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it can lead to complete administrative compromise of WordPress installations. Attackers can exploit this flaw to modify critical advertising configurations, potentially redirecting traffic to malicious sites or altering revenue-generating ad placements. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the core administrative functions of the AdSense-Deluxe plugin, which is designed to manage and optimize advertising revenue for WordPress sites. This makes it a prime target for attackers seeking to monetize compromised WordPress installations through unauthorized ad modifications or by redirecting ad traffic to malicious destinations.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of insufficient anti-CSRF protection in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1548.005 for privilege escalation through web application vulnerabilities. The remediation strategy involves implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms, ensuring that all administrative requests include unique, unpredictable tokens that are validated against the originating session. Additionally, administrators should immediately upgrade to patched versions of the AdSense-Deluxe plugin or implement web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cross-site request patterns. Organizations using legacy WordPress plugins should conduct comprehensive security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other third-party components that may lack proper session validation mechanisms. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date WordPress plugins and implementing robust security controls that prevent unauthorized administrative actions regardless of user authentication status.