CVE-2015-10109 in Video Playlist and Gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/01/2023
A vulnerability was found in Video Playlist and Gallery Plugin up to 1.136 on WordPress. It has been rated as problematic. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the file wp-media-cincopa.php. The manipulation leads to cross-site request forgery. The attack may be launched remotely. Upgrading to version 1.137 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is ee28e91f4d5404905204c43b7b84a8ffecad932e. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-230264.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2023
This vulnerability resides within the Video Playlist and Gallery Plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting versions up to 1.136 where the flaw manifests in the wp-media-cincopa.php file. The issue constitutes a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability is classified as remotely exploitable, meaning that malicious actors can initiate attacks without requiring physical access to the target system or direct user interaction beyond visiting a compromised webpage. The technical flaw stems from inadequate validation of request origins and missing anti-forgery tokens, which enables attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress application. This weakness creates a significant security risk as it can be leveraged to perform administrative actions such as modifying plugin settings, uploading malicious files, or altering media content without proper authorization. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data manipulation as it potentially allows for privilege escalation and persistent compromise of the affected WordPress installation.
The operational implications of this cross-site request forgery vulnerability are substantial for WordPress site administrators and users who rely on the affected plugin. Attackers can exploit this weakness to execute unauthorized administrative functions, potentially leading to complete compromise of the WordPress site. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that malicious actors can target users through various vectors including phishing emails, compromised websites, or malicious advertisements that deliver the exploit payload. The lack of proper input validation and CSRF protection mechanisms in the wp-media-cincopa.php file creates an attack surface that can be leveraged for privilege escalation attacks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing, as it enables attackers to perform actions that would normally require legitimate administrative credentials. The vulnerability also aligns with CWE-352 which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws, making it a well-documented and widely recognized security weakness in web applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability center primarily on upgrading to version 1.137, which contains the necessary patch identified by the commit hash ee28e91f4d5404905204c43b7b84a8ffecad932e. This upgrade process should be prioritized as the most effective remediation approach, as it directly addresses the root cause of the CSRF vulnerability in the plugin's code implementation. System administrators should also implement additional defensive measures including monitoring for unauthorized changes to plugin files, implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, and ensuring proper access controls are in place for WordPress administrative functions. The patch included in version 1.137 likely incorporates proper CSRF token generation and validation mechanisms, which would prevent attackers from forging legitimate requests to the vulnerable wp-media-cincopa.php endpoint. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify other potentially vulnerable plugins or components that may share similar security weaknesses. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of keeping all WordPress plugins and themes updated, as outdated components often contain unpatched security flaws that can be easily exploited by threat actors. Additionally, implementing proper security monitoring and logging of administrative activities can help detect unauthorized exploitation attempts even if the primary patch is not immediately applied.