CVE-2014-2340 in XCloner
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the XCloner plugin before 3.1.1 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that create website backups via a request to wp-admin/plugins.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2026
The CVE-2014-2340 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the XCloner WordPress plugin ecosystem. This vulnerability existed in versions prior to 3.1.1 and created a significant security risk by allowing remote attackers to manipulate administrative sessions through forged requests. The flaw specifically targeted the plugin's backup functionality, enabling malicious actors to execute unauthorized backup operations on compromised websites. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data manipulation as it directly undermines the authentication mechanisms that protect WordPress administrator accounts from unauthorized access.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper validation mechanisms within the XCloner plugin's administrative interfaces. When administrators accessed the wp-admin/plugins.php endpoint to manage plugins, the system failed to verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate administrative sessions. This omission creates a condition where attackers can craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators, exploiting the trust relationship between the web application and its users. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the plugin's backup creation functionality, which requires elevated privileges and represents a high-value target for attackers seeking persistent access to compromised systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability creates a severe risk for WordPress administrators who rely on the XCloner plugin for backup management. Attackers can leverage this flaw to perform unauthorized backup operations, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system compromise, or disruption of backup processes that are critical for disaster recovery. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or direct network access to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators perform routine administrative tasks. Additionally, the automatic execution of backup operations through forged requests can go unnoticed by system administrators, creating potential blind spots in security monitoring and incident response procedures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the XCloner plugin to version 3.1.1 or later, which implements proper CSRF token validation mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, regular security audits of installed plugins, and monitoring of administrative activities for suspicious patterns. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper session management practices can further reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses, and represents a common vector that appears in numerous web application security assessments. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to perform administrative actions under the guise of legitimate users. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in their WordPress environments.