CVE-2015-9309 in wp-google-map-plugin Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The wp-google-map-plugin plugin before 2.3.10 for WordPress has CSRF in the add/edit category feature.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2025
The wp-google-map-plugin vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-9309 represents a critical cross-site request forgery weakness that specifically affects the add/edit category functionality within the plugin's administrative interface. This vulnerability exists in versions prior to 2.3.10 of the WordPress plugin, creating a significant security risk for WordPress sites that utilize this mapping solution. The flaw allows authenticated attackers with administrative privileges to manipulate the plugin's category management features through maliciously crafted requests, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications of map categories and associated metadata.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper request validation mechanisms within the plugin's administrative endpoints. When administrators perform add or edit operations on map categories, the plugin fails to implement anti-CSRF tokens or other validation controls that would ensure requests originate from legitimate sources within the authenticated session. This omission creates a scenario where an attacker could craft malicious HTML pages or exploit other attack vectors to trick authenticated administrators into executing unintended category modifications without their knowledge or explicit consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it can compromise the integrity of geographic data management within WordPress environments. Attackers could potentially insert malicious categories with harmful links, alter existing category structures to disrupt map functionality, or create confusion in mapping applications that depend on accurate category hierarchies. The vulnerability particularly affects WordPress sites that rely heavily on geospatial data visualization, where category organization directly impacts user experience and data presentation. Additionally, since the plugin operates within the WordPress administration interface, successful exploitation could lead to broader system compromise if combined with other vulnerabilities or if the administrator's session is already compromised through other means.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to version 2.3.10 or later of the wp-google-map-plugin, which implements proper CSRF protection mechanisms including anti-CSRF token validation. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive audits of all installed WordPress plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities, as this represents a common pattern in web application security where authentication bypasses or missing validation controls create exploitable conditions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and falls under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1548 for abuse of privileges, as it requires administrative access to be effectively exploited but can lead to broader privilege escalation or data manipulation consequences. System administrators should implement additional monitoring for suspicious administrative activities, particularly around map category modifications, and consider implementing web application firewalls or additional security layers to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.