CVE-2018-1000506 in Metronet Tag Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Metronet Tag Manager version 1.2.7 contains a Cross ite Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Settings page /wp-admin/options-general.php?page=metronet-tag-manager that can result in allows anybody to do almost anything an admin can. This attack appear to be exploitable via Logged in user must follow a link. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 1.2.9.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2020
The CVE-2018-1000506 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw in the Metronet Tag Manager WordPress plugin version 1.2.7. This vulnerability exists within the plugin's settings page located at /wp-admin/options-general.php?page=metronet-tag-manager, making it a direct target for malicious exploitation. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to perform administrative actions on behalf of legitimate users who are logged into the WordPress admin interface. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only that a logged-in administrator click on a malicious link, making it particularly dangerous as it leverages the trust relationship between the user and the web application. This type of attack falls under the category of session hijacking and privilege escalation techniques that have been documented in various security frameworks including the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-forgery tokens or nonce validation within the Metronet Tag Manager plugin's administrative settings form. When an administrator navigates to the plugin's settings page, the application fails to verify that the incoming requests originate from legitimate administrative actions rather than forged requests submitted by attackers. This oversight creates an attack surface where malicious actors can craft specially crafted HTTP requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform unauthorized administrative functions. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it grants attackers the same privileges as the administrator, potentially allowing them to modify plugin settings, inject malicious code, or even delete critical data. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with a pathway to gain persistent control over WordPress installations. Once exploited, attackers can modify tracking codes, inject malicious scripts, or manipulate plugin configurations to redirect traffic or collect sensitive data from visitors. The vulnerability's exploitation process is straightforward, requiring only a single click from an authenticated user, which makes it particularly effective in phishing campaigns or social engineering attacks. This type of vulnerability has been categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers Valid Accounts and T1546 which covers Event Triggering. The fact that the vulnerability was patched in version 1.2.9 demonstrates that the developers recognized the severity of the issue, but the extended window of exposure between version 1.2.7 and the fix represents a significant risk period for affected installations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from system administrators to upgrade to the patched version 1.2.9 or later. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all installations running the vulnerable plugin version and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers, enabling two-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and the necessity of implementing proper session management controls within web applications. Security teams should consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block potential CSRF attack patterns, while also establishing incident response procedures specifically designed to address privilege escalation vulnerabilities. Regular security audits of third-party plugins and themes should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of the WordPress ecosystem.