CVE-2013-2694 in WP Symposium
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in invite.php in the WP Symposium plugin 13.04 for WordPress allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a URL in the u parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2026
The CVE-2013-2694 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw within the WP Symposium plugin version 13.04 for WordPress platforms. This security weakness resides in the invite.php script and demonstrates a classic web application vulnerability that enables malicious actors to manipulate user navigation through carefully crafted URLs. The vulnerability specifically exploits the lack of proper input validation and sanitization within the u parameter, which is used to handle user invitation URLs. Attackers can leverage this weakness to redirect unsuspecting users to malicious websites, creating a significant vector for phishing campaigns and social engineering attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input within the WordPress plugin ecosystem. When the invite.php script processes the u parameter, it fails to properly sanitize or validate the URL content before using it in redirect operations. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary URLs that will be executed as redirects, bypassing normal security checks that would typically prevent such navigation. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no privileged access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by anyone with access to the vulnerable WordPress site. According to CWE classification, this maps to CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site, which specifically addresses the security risk of redirecting users to external domains without proper validation. The flaw represents a direct violation of secure coding practices and demonstrates poor input handling mechanisms within the plugin's codebase.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-2694 extends far beyond simple redirection capabilities, creating substantial risk for both end users and website administrators. Users who receive invitations through compromised WordPress sites may unknowingly navigate to phishing sites that mimic legitimate services, potentially leading to credential theft, financial fraud, or malware installation. The vulnerability enables attackers to craft convincing phishing campaigns by leveraging the trusted domain of the compromised WordPress site, making the attack more credible and successful. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability provides an effective means of establishing initial access vectors and conducting large-scale phishing operations without requiring complex exploitation techniques. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where employees may trust invitations from internal systems, and the attack can be amplified through social engineering tactics that exploit user confidence in familiar platforms. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001: Phishing for Information, specifically targeting the initial access phase of cyber attack chains.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-2694 require immediate action from WordPress site administrators and security teams. The primary recommendation involves updating the WP Symposium plugin to a version that addresses this vulnerability, as the original 13.04 version contains the exploitable flaw. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all WordPress plugins and themes remain current with security updates. Additional defensive measures include implementing proper input validation and sanitization within the affected plugin code, restricting the use of external URL parameters, and deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious redirect patterns. Network-level controls such as URL filtering and content inspection can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should focus on tracking redirect activities and identifying anomalous URL patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of conducting regular security assessments of WordPress installations, including thorough plugin and theme reviews to identify potential security weaknesses. Organizations should establish security awareness training programs to educate users about recognizing phishing attempts and the risks associated with clicking on unexpected invitation links.