CVE-2013-3256 in SexyBookmarks
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Shareaholic SexyBookmarks plugin 6.1.4.0 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of users for requests that "manipulate plugin settings."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2017
The CVE-2013-3256 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Shareaholic SexyBookmarks WordPress plugin version 6.1.4.0. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the authentication mechanisms of legitimate users by tricking them into executing unauthorized actions against the vulnerable plugin. The vulnerability specifically targets plugin settings manipulation, making it particularly dangerous for administrators who may unknowingly perform destructive operations while browsing malicious websites or clicking on compromised links. The CSRF attack exploits the trust relationship between the web application and the user's browser, leveraging the fact that browsers automatically include authentication cookies with every request to the same domain.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within its administrative interfaces. When users access the plugin's settings pages, the application should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources by requiring a unique, unpredictable token that is generated for each user session. Without this validation, malicious actors can craft specially crafted HTTP requests that, when executed by an authenticated user, perform actions such as modifying plugin configurations, changing user permissions, or even deleting content. The attack typically involves embedding malicious code in phishing emails, compromised websites, or social engineering campaigns that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable WordPress installation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it can lead to complete compromise of the affected WordPress site. Attackers who successfully exploit this CSRF vulnerability can manipulate plugin settings to redirect users to malicious domains, inject malicious code into the site's content, or disable security features that protect against further attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets the administrative functionality of a popular WordPress plugin, meaning that successful exploitation could affect numerous websites that rely on Shareaholic for social sharing features. The attack vector is relatively simple to implement, requiring only basic web development knowledge to construct malicious requests that can be delivered through various social engineering techniques or by compromising websites that users visit regularly.
Effective mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve implementing proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's codebase, including the generation and validation of unique tokens for each administrative request. The recommended approach aligns with the ATT&CK framework's mitigation techniques for web application attacks, particularly focusing on input validation and request verification. WordPress administrators should immediately update to the patched version of the Shareaholic SexyBookmarks plugin, as the vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases through proper implementation of anti-CSRF tokens. Additionally, implementing security headers such as Content Security Policy can provide additional defense in depth, while regular security audits of installed plugins can help identify other vulnerable components. Network monitoring solutions should also be configured to detect unusual administrative activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability creates observable traffic patterns that can be flagged by security tools.