CVE-2017-5489 in WordPress
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in WordPress before 4.7.1 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via vectors involving a Flash file upload.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/13/2026
The CVE-2017-5489 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in WordPress versions prior to 4.7.1 that enables remote attackers to exploit user sessions through malicious Flash file uploads. This vulnerability operates within the broader context of web application security where authentication mechanisms can be manipulated by adversaries to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. The flaw specifically leverages the interaction between Flash file upload functionality and WordPress's CSRF protection mechanisms, creating a pathway for attackers to bypass security controls that should prevent unauthorized operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from WordPress's insufficient validation of CSRF tokens when processing Flash file uploads through its media handling system. When users upload Flash files to WordPress sites, the application fails to properly verify that the request originates from an authenticated user with valid permissions, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from legitimate administrative sessions. This weakness manifests in the application's failure to enforce proper request origin checking and token validation during file upload operations, particularly those involving Flash content which may not be subject to the same security restrictions as other file types. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic breakdown in the application's security model where the CSRF protection mechanisms are not consistently applied across all user interaction points.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-5489 extends beyond simple unauthorized file uploads to potentially enable complete account compromise and administrative access to affected WordPress installations. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands on vulnerable systems, modify website content, install malicious plugins, or even gain full control over the WordPress administration interface. The Flash file upload vector is particularly concerning because Flash content often bypasses standard browser security restrictions and may not be properly validated by WordPress's content filtering mechanisms. This vulnerability affects a wide range of WordPress installations and represents a significant risk to websites that do not maintain up-to-date security patches, as the attack can be executed remotely without requiring any special privileges or access to the target system beyond basic network connectivity.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies that include updating to WordPress version 4.7.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the CSRF protection gaps. Security teams should also consider implementing additional network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious Flash file upload attempts, along with regular security audits of uploaded content to identify any suspicious activity. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and represents a common pattern of security flaws that attackers exploit to gain unauthorized access to user sessions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation and persistence techniques that adversaries use to maintain long-term access to compromised systems, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on WordPress for critical business operations or content management.