CVE-2011-5226 in sentinel
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in wordpress_sentinel.php in the Sentinel plugin 1.0.0 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of an administrator for requests that trigger snapshots.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2019
The CVE-2011-5226 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Sentinel plugin version 1.0.0 for WordPress platforms. This vulnerability specifically affects the wordpress_sentinel.php component and enables remote attackers to exploit administrative sessions through manipulated requests that trigger system snapshots. The flaw resides in the plugin's insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute unauthorized administrative actions without legitimate authentication.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the Sentinel plugin's failure to properly verify the authenticity of incoming requests. When administrators perform snapshot operations, the plugin does not adequately validate whether requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session context. This absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators, leveraging the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser. The vulnerability specifically impacts snapshot triggering functionality, which represents a high-privilege operation within the WordPress administration interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking to encompass potential full administrative compromise of WordPress installations. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary commands through snapshot operations, potentially leading to complete system takeover, data exfiltration, or malicious content injection. The attack vector requires minimal user interaction since the malicious requests can be triggered through social engineering techniques or by exploiting existing user sessions. This vulnerability particularly affects WordPress installations where administrators frequently perform snapshot operations, making it a prime target for exploitation in targeted attacks.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of mitigation for this vulnerability, beginning with immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF implementation flaws. The remediation process must include proper anti-CSRF token deployment that validates request origins and ensures session integrity. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls with CSRF detection capabilities and establish monitoring procedures to identify suspicious snapshot triggering activities. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, while ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. The mitigation strategy should also include user education regarding suspicious link clicks and regular security audits of installed plugins to prevent similar vulnerabilities from persisting in the WordPress ecosystem.