CVE-2015-9331 in wp-all-import Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The wp-all-import plugin before 3.2.4 for WordPress has no prevention of unauthenticated requests to adminInit.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2023
The CVE-2015-9331 vulnerability affects the wp-all-import plugin version 3.2.3 and earlier in the WordPress ecosystem, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of administrative functions. This vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of administrative initialization requests, which are typically restricted to authenticated users with appropriate privileges. The flaw stems from the absence of proper authentication checks within the adminInit endpoint, allowing any remote attacker to execute administrative functions without presenting valid credentials or authorization tokens.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's failure to validate user authentication status before processing administrative requests. When the wp-all-import plugin processes requests to the adminInit endpoint, it does not verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges or has successfully authenticated through the WordPress authentication system. This absence of authentication controls creates an exploitable condition where malicious actors can craft and submit requests to administrative functions that should only be accessible to authorized administrators. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the inherent trust placed in the plugin's administrative interfaces without proper verification mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can enable comprehensive administrative control over affected WordPress installations. Attackers who exploit this vulnerability can potentially perform any action available within the plugin's administrative interface, including importing data, modifying plugin settings, accessing sensitive information, and potentially executing arbitrary code within the context of the WordPress installation. This risk is particularly severe because the wp-all-import plugin is commonly used for data migration and import operations, making it a valuable target for attackers seeking to manipulate or compromise website content and user data. The vulnerability affects the core principle of least privilege and can result in complete system compromise when combined with other exploitation techniques.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploiting legitimate credentials and access rights. Organizations should immediately upgrade to wp-all-import plugin version 3.2.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the developers have implemented proper authentication checks in the updated release. Additionally, administrators should conduct comprehensive security audits of their WordPress installations to identify any other plugins or themes that may exhibit similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide temporary mitigation while the plugin update is being deployed, though these measures do not address the root cause of the vulnerability. Regular security monitoring and vulnerability assessment procedures should be implemented to detect similar issues in other third-party components within the WordPress ecosystem.