CVE-2016-10944 in multisite-post-duplicator Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The multisite-post-duplicator plugin before 1.1.3 for WordPress has wp-admin/tools.php?page=mpd CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2023
The multisite-post-duplicator plugin for WordPress contains a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability in versions prior to 1.1.3, specifically affecting the wp-admin/tools.php?page=mpd endpoint. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with sufficient privileges to manipulate the plugin's functionality through maliciously crafted requests. The flaw exists within the plugin's administrative interface where user requests are not properly validated for authenticity, enabling unauthorized actions to be executed on behalf of legitimate users who are logged into the WordPress administration panel.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the plugin's administrative tools page. When administrators navigate to the multisite-post-duplicator functionality, the plugin fails to implement cryptographic tokens or other mechanisms to verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions. This creates an exploitable condition where an attacker can craft malicious web pages or emails containing embedded requests that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, will execute unintended operations within the context of the administrator's session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially enable complete compromise of WordPress multisite environments. Attackers could leverage this weakness to duplicate posts across multiple sites within a network, potentially spreading malicious content, executing unauthorized modifications to site content, or manipulating the administrative workflow. Given that the vulnerability affects the tools.php administrative interface, it could also be used to escalate privileges or gain deeper access to the WordPress installation, particularly in environments where administrators have elevated permissions across multiple sites.
Organizations running affected versions of the multisite-post-duplicator plugin should immediately upgrade to version 1.1.3 or later to remediate this vulnerability. The fix typically involves implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interface, ensuring that all requests to the wp-admin/tools.php?page=mpd endpoint are authenticated through cryptographic tokens. Additionally, administrators should review their WordPress plugin ecosystem for similar vulnerabilities and implement security measures such as role-based access controls, regular security audits, and monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws, and represents a common attack vector categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering attacks that exploit authenticated sessions.