CVE-2015-0895 in All In One Wordpress Security And Firewall
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the All In One WP Security & Firewall plugin before 3.9.0 for WordPress allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that delete logs of 404 (aka Not Found) HTTP status codes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2018
The CVE-2015-0895 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the All In One WP Security & Firewall plugin for WordPress systems. This vulnerability existed in versions prior to 3.9.0 and specifically targeted the plugin's handling of administrative functions related to log management. The flaw allowed remote attackers to manipulate authenticated administrator sessions through carefully crafted malicious requests that could execute unauthorized actions within the WordPress administrative interface.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability exploited the absence of proper validation mechanisms for administrative actions within the plugin's logging subsystem. When administrators accessed the plugin's interface to manage 404 error logs, the application failed to implement adequate anti-CSRF token verification or session validation checks. This omission created a pathway for attackers to construct malicious web pages or email attachments that could automatically submit requests to the vulnerable plugin's administrative endpoints. The specific target of these attacks was the deletion functionality for 404 error logs, which could potentially be used to cover tracks or disrupt system monitoring capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple log manipulation, as it represents a significant threat to WordPress site security and integrity. Administrators who were logged into their WordPress sites could be unknowingly tricked into executing malicious actions through social engineering techniques such as phishing emails or compromised websites. The deletion of 404 logs could hinder security investigations and forensic analysis, as these logs often contain valuable information about attempted attacks or misconfigurations. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited as part of broader attack chains where attackers first establish a foothold through CSRF before attempting other malicious activities.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery flaws in software applications, and demonstrates how insecure session management and inadequate input validation can create persistent security weaknesses. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1212, which involves exploitation of software vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access or execute malicious commands. Organizations running vulnerable versions of the All In One WP Security & Firewall plugin faced the risk of complete administrative compromise, as successful exploitation would allow attackers to perform any action available to the administrator role, including but not limited to log deletion, plugin configuration changes, and potential data exfiltration.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrade to version 3.9.0 or later of the All In One WP Security & Firewall plugin, which implemented proper CSRF token validation and session management controls. System administrators should also implement additional security measures such as regular security audits, monitoring for unusual administrative activities, and ensuring all WordPress plugins remain updated. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include network monitoring, intrusion detection systems, and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in other software components.