CVE-2015-9380 in photo-gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The photo-gallery plugin before 1.2.42 for WordPress has CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/11/2023
The CVE-2015-9380 vulnerability affects the photo-gallery plugin version 1.2.41 and earlier for WordPress, representing a cross-site request forgery flaw that exposes the platform to unauthorized administrative actions. This vulnerability allows attackers to execute malicious requests on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, potentially leading to complete compromise of the affected WordPress installation. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms, leaving critical administrative functions susceptible to exploitation through crafted web requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in the plugin's administrative forms and endpoints. When administrators interact with the photo-gallery plugin's administrative interface, the system does not validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session. This design flaw enables attackers to construct malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in other parts of the WordPress installation to perform unauthorized actions such as modifying gallery settings, deleting images, or even uploading malicious content. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the plugin's administrative functionality, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators have elevated privileges.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability can lead to significant security breaches within WordPress installations. Attackers can leverage the CSRF flaw to perform actions that would normally require administrative access, including but not limited to modifying gallery configurations, deleting or uploading malicious files, and potentially escalating privileges within the WordPress environment. The attack vector typically involves tricking an authenticated administrator into visiting a malicious website that automatically submits requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. This scenario is particularly concerning because administrators often have broad access rights within WordPress systems, potentially allowing attackers to gain full control over the affected site. The vulnerability can also be exploited in combination with other attacks to create more severe security incidents.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to version 1.2.42 or later of the photo-gallery plugin, which contains the necessary anti-CSRF protections. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as network segmentation, regular security audits, and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in software applications, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for legitimate credentials use and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and other web application security controls to provide defense-in-depth against similar vulnerabilities. Regular patch management processes and security awareness training for administrators can help prevent exploitation of such flaws in the broader WordPress ecosystem.