CVE-2014-5199 in WordPress File Upload
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the WordPress File Upload plugin (wp-file-upload) before 2.4.2 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that change plugin settings via unspecified vectors. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2018
The CVE-2014-5199 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in the WordPress File Upload plugin affecting versions prior to 2.4.2. This vulnerability operates at the application level and falls under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated users and the WordPress application, allowing unauthorized administrative actions to be performed without the victim's knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper validation mechanisms for requests targeting plugin configuration changes. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, modify critical plugin settings. The vulnerability's unspecified vectors suggest that the attack could occur through various means including email attachments, compromised websites, or social engineering tactics that trick administrators into visiting malicious sites. The flaw essentially bypasses the standard authentication mechanisms by leveraging the administrator's existing session and privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it directly compromises the integrity and confidentiality of WordPress administrative functions. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can alter plugin configurations, potentially disabling security features, changing upload restrictions, or modifying file handling behaviors. This could lead to unauthorized file uploads, privilege escalation, or complete compromise of the WordPress installation. The vulnerability specifically targets administrator accounts, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without requiring additional authentication credentials beyond the victim's existing administrative session.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering. The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrading to WordPress File Upload plugin version 2.4.2 or later, which implements proper CSRF token validation and request verification mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security audits of installed plugins. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of keeping WordPress plugins updated and maintaining robust input validation and authentication controls.