CVE-2018-5658 in responsive-coming-soon-page Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in the responsive-coming-soon-page plugin 1.1.18 for WordPress. CSRF exists via wp-admin/admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5658 affects the responsive-coming-soon-page plugin version 1.1.18 for WordPress, presenting a cross-site request forgery weakness that could enable unauthorized administrative actions. This issue resides within the wp-admin/admin.php endpoint, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the core administrative interface of WordPress installations. The flaw allows attackers to manipulate the plugin's functionality through crafted requests that exploit the lack of proper authentication checks.
Cross-site request forgery represents a critical web application vulnerability categorized under CWE-352, where an attacker tricks authenticated users into executing unintended commands against a web application they are currently authenticated with. In this specific case, the vulnerability exists because the plugin does not implement adequate CSRF protection mechanisms within its administrative interface. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it operates within the wp-admin namespace, which typically requires elevated privileges and contains sensitive administrative functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it could potentially allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative controls of the WordPress installation. An attacker could leverage this weakness to modify plugin settings, potentially disabling the coming soon page functionality, or worse, to install malicious code or modify user permissions. The attack vector requires minimal user interaction since the victim must only visit a malicious website while authenticated to the WordPress admin interface, making it particularly stealthy and dangerous in real-world scenarios.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress administration interface, taking advantage of the browser's automatic inclusion of cookies for the target domain. This allows the attacker to perform administrative actions without requiring explicit authentication credentials. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1213 Data from Information Repositories, as it enables unauthorized access to administrative functions and potentially sensitive data stored within the plugin's configuration.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF vulnerability, as well as implementing additional security measures such as CSRF tokens in all administrative forms and implementing proper referer checking. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual administrative activities and ensure that WordPress core, themes, and plugins are regularly updated to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities. The WordPress security team strongly recommends that all users of this plugin upgrade immediately to a patched version to prevent potential compromise of their administrative interfaces.