CVE-2018-10309 in Responsive Cookie Consent Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The Responsive Cookie Consent plugin before 1.8 for WordPress mishandles number fields.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2025
The Responsive Cookie Consent plugin for WordPress versions prior to 1.8 contains a critical vulnerability in its handling of numeric input fields that can lead to unauthorized access and potential data manipulation. This flaw specifically affects how the plugin processes number fields within its configuration interface, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit improper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. The vulnerability exists in the plugin's administrative settings where numeric values are accepted for various cookie consent parameters, including expiration times, cookie IDs, and other numerical configuration options.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation routines that fail to properly sanitize or validate numeric data entered by administrators. When users configure cookie consent settings through the WordPress admin panel, the plugin does not adequately verify that numeric inputs remain within expected ranges or that they are properly formatted before being processed or stored. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate numeric fields in ways that could bypass intended security controls, potentially enabling them to alter cookie consent behavior, modify access permissions, or manipulate cookie tracking parameters. The flaw is particularly concerning because it operates at the configuration level where administrators typically have elevated privileges, making any compromise of these settings potentially devastating to site security and user privacy controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration manipulation to potentially compromise the entire cookie consent functionality and associated privacy compliance measures. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability could manipulate cookie tracking behaviors, potentially allowing unauthorized third-party tracking scripts to bypass consent mechanisms, or could alter cookie expiration times to maintain persistent tracking beyond user consent periods. This represents a significant risk for websites operating under privacy regulations such as GDPR or CCPA, where proper cookie consent management is mandatory. The vulnerability could also enable attackers to escalate privileges within the WordPress environment by manipulating plugin settings that control access to various site features, potentially leading to full site compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate plugin updates to version 1.8 or later, which contain proper input validation and sanitization fixes. Administrators should also implement additional security measures including regular security audits of WordPress plugins, monitoring of plugin configuration changes, and implementation of privileged access controls that limit who can modify cookie consent settings. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1190 for exploit public-facing application, depending on how the attack vector is achieved. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious parameter manipulation attempts and establish robust backup procedures to quickly restore plugin configurations if compromise occurs. Regular security scanning of WordPress installations should include verification of plugin versions and configuration integrity to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other administrative interfaces.