CVE-2014-3850 in Member Approval
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Member Approval plugin 131109 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change plugin settings to their default and disable registration approval via a request to wp-admin/options-general.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2019
The CVE-2014-3850 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Member Approval plugin version 131109 for WordPress platforms. This vulnerability exposes WordPress installations to sophisticated attack vectors where malicious actors can exploit the lack of proper authentication verification mechanisms. The flaw specifically targets the administrative functions of the plugin, enabling unauthorized modification of critical system settings through deceptive web requests that appear legitimate to the victim's browser.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or proper validation mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interfaces. When administrators access the wp-admin/options-general.php page to modify plugin configurations, the system fails to verify that the request originates from an authenticated administrator session rather than from a malicious third party. This omission creates a fundamental security gap where attackers can craft malicious requests that, when executed by an administrator's browser, perform unauthorized administrative actions without the user's knowledge or consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it allows attackers to fundamentally alter the security posture of WordPress installations. By disabling registration approval mechanisms, attackers can enable unrestricted user registration, potentially flooding the system with malicious accounts and undermining the entire user management framework. Additionally, resetting plugin settings to defaults can remove critical security configurations, leaving the system in a vulnerable state where previously implemented protections become ineffective.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and authentication handling practices that violate fundamental security principles. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts through web shell exploitation, as attackers can leverage compromised administrator sessions to execute unauthorized administrative commands. The attack vector requires minimal technical sophistication while offering substantial impact, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators regularly access administrative interfaces.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including plugin updates to versions that include proper CSRF token validation, deployment of web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious administrative requests, and implementation of additional authentication layers such as two-factor authentication for administrative accounts. Regular security audits should verify that all WordPress plugins implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, and administrators should be educated about the risks of clicking suspicious links or visiting untrusted websites while logged into administrative sessions. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against authenticated attack vectors that can compromise entire web applications.