CVE-2014-2274 in Subscribe To Comments Reloaded Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Subscribe To Comments Reloaded plugin before 140219 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via a request to the subscribe-to-comments-reloaded/options/index.php page to wp-admin/admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2020
The CVE-2014-2274 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in the Subscribe To Comments Reloaded WordPress plugin, affecting versions prior to 140219. This vulnerability operates at the intersection of CSRF and XSS attack vectors, creating a particularly dangerous threat landscape for WordPress administrators. The flaw specifically targets the plugin's administrative interface, particularly the subscribe-to-comments-reloaded/options/index.php endpoint, which serves as a critical attack surface for malicious actors seeking to compromise administrator sessions. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway demonstrates how seemingly isolated security weaknesses can compound to create more severe threats when combined with other attack vectors.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the plugin's inadequate validation of administrative requests within the WordPress admin environment. When an authenticated administrator visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the vulnerability allows remote attackers to submit requests to the wp-admin/admin.php endpoint without proper authentication verification. This occurs because the plugin fails to implement robust anti-CSRF tokens or other session validation mechanisms that would normally prevent unauthorized requests from being executed with administrator privileges. The flaw essentially enables attackers to perform administrative actions on behalf of legitimate users, leveraging the trust relationship between the browser and the WordPress administration interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking, as it creates a foundation for more sophisticated attacks within the WordPress ecosystem. Administrators who are logged into their WordPress sites become potential victims of automated CSRF attacks that can execute malicious code through XSS payloads delivered via the compromised administrative interface. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, typically involving the administrator visiting a malicious page, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently browse untrusted websites. This threat model aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.002 for bypassing application security controls and CWE-352 for cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, demonstrating how CSRF flaws can serve as initial access vectors for broader compromise.
The security implications of CVE-2014-2274 highlight the critical importance of proper input validation and authentication mechanisms in WordPress plugins, particularly those that operate within the administrative context. The vulnerability demonstrates how plugins that modify core WordPress functionality must implement robust security controls to prevent unauthorized access to administrative features. Organizations running vulnerable versions of the Subscribe To Comments Reloaded plugin face significant risk of complete administrative compromise, which could lead to data theft, site defacement, or the installation of backdoors. The flaw also underscores the necessity of keeping WordPress plugins updated, as the vulnerability was resolved in version 140219 through proper implementation of CSRF protection mechanisms. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability exemplifies the common pattern of insufficient session validation in web applications, making it a valuable case study for understanding how authentication bypasses can occur in content management systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-2274 focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates, but also require broader security awareness training for administrators. The primary solution involves upgrading to version 140219 or later of the Subscribe To Comments Reloaded plugin, which implements proper CSRF token validation and request verification mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security layers such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious administrative requests, as well as monitoring for unusual patterns of administrative activity that might indicate successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of security audits for WordPress plugins and the need for developers to follow established security standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten project, particularly regarding session management and authentication controls. Regular security assessments and penetration testing of WordPress installations can help identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins or themes that might not have been properly validated for security flaws.