CVE-2015-10130 in Team Circle Image Slider with Lightbox Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/13/2024
The Team Circle Image Slider With Lightbox plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in version 1.0. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the circle_thumbnail_slider_with_lightbox_image_management_func() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to edit image data which can be used to inject malicious JavaScript, along with deleting images, and uploading malicious files via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2025
The Team Circle Image Slider With Lightbox plugin for WordPress represents a specific category of web application vulnerabilities that exploit the fundamental trust relationship between users and web applications. This particular vulnerability resides within the plugin's image management functionality, where the absence of proper nonce validation creates a critical security gap that undermines the integrity of the WordPress ecosystem. The vulnerability affects version 1.0 of the plugin, indicating that this was likely an oversight in the initial development phase where security considerations were not adequately implemented. The flaw manifests in the circle_thumbnail_slider_with_lightbox_image_management_func() function, which serves as the primary interface for managing image data within the plugin's framework.
The technical implementation of this Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to validate the authenticity of requests made to its image management endpoints. Nonce validation serves as a cryptographic token that ensures requests originate from legitimate sources within the WordPress environment, preventing unauthorized modifications to user data. Without this validation mechanism, an attacker can craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users within the WordPress administration interface. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate image data through forged requests that bypass the normal authentication and authorization checks that should protect such functionality. The vulnerability specifically targets the image management capabilities, enabling attackers to perform operations that modify the plugin's data store without proper user consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification to encompass potential exploitation for more sophisticated attacks within the WordPress environment. An unauthenticated attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability can inject malicious JavaScript code into image metadata or directly into the image files themselves, creating persistent XSS vectors that can compromise site administrators or visitors. The ability to delete images represents a denial-of-service threat that can disrupt website functionality and content presentation. Additionally, the vulnerability enables file upload capabilities that can be leveraged to introduce malicious payloads into the WordPress installation, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The attack vector requires social engineering to trick administrators into clicking malicious links, but once executed, the consequences can be severe for site integrity and user security.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, and demonstrates how inadequate input validation and missing security tokens can create exploitable conditions. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique where attackers leverage existing trust relationships to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions. The vulnerability also reflects broader patterns identified in the OWASP Top Ten, particularly the "Insecure Direct Object Reference" and "Security Misconfiguration" categories. Organizations using this plugin face significant risk as the vulnerability can be exploited without requiring any authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators may be tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links. The exploitation requires minimal technical skill and can be automated, making it a preferred attack vector for threat actors targeting WordPress installations.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate plugin updates to versions that implement proper nonce validation mechanisms, as well as implementing additional security measures such as Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent XSS attacks. Administrators should also consider implementing role-based access controls to limit who can perform image management operations and monitor for unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The WordPress security team recommends that all users update to the latest plugin versions immediately, as the vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and is likely to be targeted by automated exploitation tools. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect unusual patterns in image management requests and consider implementing web application firewalls to block suspicious requests that attempt to manipulate plugin functionality without proper authentication tokens.