CVE-2008-6762 in WordPress
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in wp-admin/upgrade.php in WordPress, probably 2.6.x, allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a URL in the backto parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6762 represents a critical open redirect flaw discovered in WordPress version 2.6.x, specifically within the wp-admin/upgrade.php file. This security weakness enables malicious actors to manipulate user redirection behavior by injecting arbitrary URLs into the backto parameter, creating a significant vector for phishing and social engineering attacks. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied parameters, allowing attackers to craft malicious links that appear legitimate to unsuspecting users. The open redirect vulnerability specifically targets the WordPress administrative interface, where users are typically logged in with elevated privileges, making the potential impact of such an attack considerably more severe. This flaw operates by accepting user input through the backto parameter without proper validation, enabling attackers to redirect users to malicious domains while maintaining the appearance of legitimate WordPress administrative functions. The vulnerability falls under CWE-601, which categorizes open redirect vulnerabilities as a specific type of security flaw where applications redirect users to unvalidated external URLs, potentially leading to various malicious activities including credential theft, malware distribution, and reputation damage. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 which covers "Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment" and T1566.002 which covers "Phishing: Spearphishing Link", as attackers can leverage this flaw to redirect users to malicious sites designed to capture credentials or deliver malware. The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to craft URLs that appear to originate from legitimate WordPress administrative interfaces, making it particularly effective for social engineering campaigns. When users click on malicious links constructed with this vulnerability, they are redirected to attacker-controlled domains while the initial URL appears to be from a trusted WordPress installation, significantly reducing user suspicion and increasing the likelihood of successful attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-6762 extends beyond simple redirection capabilities, as it provides attackers with a sophisticated means of conducting credential harvesting campaigns and malware distribution operations. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to redirect users to phishing pages that mimic WordPress administrative interfaces, tricking users into entering their credentials or downloading malicious software. The vulnerability's presence in the upgrade.php file is particularly concerning as this component is often accessed during routine administrative tasks, increasing the attack surface and frequency of potential exploitation. Users who are logged into WordPress administrative interfaces become prime targets for such attacks, as the redirect can occur during legitimate upgrade processes or administrative navigation, making it difficult for users to distinguish between legitimate and malicious redirects. The flaw's exploitation requires minimal technical skill from attackers, as they only need to construct properly formatted URLs with malicious backto parameters, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous due to its ease of exploitation. The open redirect nature of this vulnerability means that it can be used in various attack scenarios including credential theft, malware delivery, and reputation damage to WordPress installations. Organizations running affected WordPress versions face significant risk of successful phishing attacks, as users may be unaware of the malicious redirection occurring during normal administrative operations, particularly when the redirect happens during system upgrade processes or other routine administrative tasks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-6762 should focus on immediate patching of affected WordPress installations to the latest stable versions that contain fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations must ensure that all WordPress installations are updated to versions that properly validate and sanitize the backto parameter, preventing arbitrary URL redirection. The implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms should be enforced throughout the WordPress codebase, particularly in administrative interfaces where user input is processed. Security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP) should be implemented to prevent unauthorized redirections and to restrict the domains to which users can be redirected. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor and block suspicious redirection patterns targeting WordPress installations. Administrators should also implement user education programs to help identify potentially malicious redirections, particularly during administrative tasks where such vulnerabilities might be exploited. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar issues within WordPress installations and other web applications. The patching process should include thorough testing to ensure that legitimate redirection functionality remains intact while malicious redirection attempts are properly blocked. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing URL shortening services or link validation mechanisms to prevent users from being redirected to untrusted domains, particularly in environments where WordPress is used for public-facing content management. The remediation process must also include monitoring for any exploitation attempts and maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence to identify new attack vectors that may leverage similar weaknesses in WordPress installations.