CVE-2014-9392 in PictoBrowser
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the PictoBrowser (pictobrowser-gallery) plugin 0.3.1 and earlier for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via the pictoBrowserFlickrUser parameter in the options-page.php page to wp-admin/options-general.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2018
The CVE-2014-9392 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the PictoBrowser plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting versions 0.3.1 and earlier. This vulnerability resides in the plugin's options-page.php file within the wp-admin directory, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the administrative interface of WordPress installations. The flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate the authentication context of administrators through crafted requests that leverage the pictoBrowserFlickrUser parameter, creating a pathway for unauthorized administrative actions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interface. When administrators access the plugin's configuration page, the application fails to validate the authenticity of requests originating from the legitimate administrative interface. This omission creates an opportunity for attackers to construct malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators, thereby bypassing the standard authentication checks. The vulnerability specifically exploits the parameter handling within the pictoBrowserFlickrUser field, which processes user input without adequate validation or token verification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to execute cross-site scripting attacks through administrative sessions. This dual nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully hijacks an administrator's session, they can inject malicious scripts into the WordPress administration interface, potentially leading to complete compromise of the affected WordPress installation. The consequences include unauthorized modification of plugin settings, potential data exfiltration, and the ability to install malicious code that persists across system reboots. Attackers could also leverage this vulnerability to manipulate the plugin's Flickr integration functionality, potentially redirecting users to malicious sites or stealing sensitive authentication tokens.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique under the 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' tactic, where attackers leverage administrative access to execute more sophisticated attacks. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the PictoBrowser plugin, implementing proper CSRF token validation, and conducting thorough security audits of all installed WordPress plugins. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring of administrative interfaces can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating all user inputs and implementing robust authentication verification mechanisms, particularly within administrative interfaces where the potential impact of exploitation is greatest.