CVE-2013-3252 in WP-PostViews plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the options admin page in the WP-PostViews plugin before 1.63 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change plugin settings via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2026
The CVE-2013-3252 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the WP-PostViews plugin for WordPress systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the options administration page, creating a dangerous attack surface that enables remote adversaries to manipulate administrative functions without proper authentication. The flaw exists in versions prior to 163 of the WP-PostViews plugin, making numerous WordPress installations susceptible to unauthorized administrative actions.
The technical nature of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-forgery token validation within the plugin's administrative interface. When administrators access the plugin settings page, the system fails to implement robust verification mechanisms that would confirm the legitimacy of incoming requests. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in other parts of the website to trick authenticated administrators into performing unintended actions. These actions typically involve modifying plugin configurations, potentially leading to privilege escalation or service disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it provides attackers with a pathway to gain deeper control over WordPress installations. Since the affected plugin is commonly used for tracking post views and analytics, attackers could potentially modify plugin behavior to redirect traffic, alter analytics data, or even establish backdoors through configuration changes. The vulnerability operates through unspecified vectors, suggesting that multiple attack methods could be employed, making it particularly dangerous for security teams to defend against. This type of vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the integrity of administrative functions.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately update to WP-PostViews version 1.63 or later, which includes proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Security teams should also implement additional monitoring for unauthorized administrative changes and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect suspicious patterns in administrative requests. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting through social engineering. Administrative users should be educated about the risks of clicking suspicious links or visiting untrusted websites while logged into administrative interfaces, as this vulnerability often exploits user trust through social engineering approaches.