CVE-2019-15645 in zoho-salesiq Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The zoho-salesiq plugin before 1.0.9 for WordPress has CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-15645 represents a cross-site request forgery weakness within the zoho-salesiq plugin for WordPress systems. This security flaw affects versions prior to 1.0.9 and exposes WordPress installations to potential unauthorized actions that could be executed by malicious actors. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF measures, allowing attackers to exploit the vulnerability through crafted requests that manipulate the target user's session.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protection mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interfaces. When users access the WordPress admin panel and interact with the zoho-salesiq plugin functionality, their requests can be manipulated by attackers who craft malicious links or forms. The plugin's lack of validation for request origins or request authenticity means that legitimate administrative actions can be performed without proper authorization from the authenticated user.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to WordPress administrators and website owners. Attackers could potentially modify plugin settings, inject malicious code, or perform other administrative actions that compromise the integrity of the website. The impact extends beyond simple configuration changes since the zoho-salesiq plugin likely handles customer data and communication features that could be exploited for data theft or service disruption. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill and can be accomplished through social engineering techniques that trick administrators into clicking malicious links.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws in web applications. This classification indicates that the weakness represents a fundamental security oversight in the plugin's development lifecycle. The issue also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to execute unauthorized commands on the target system. The affected plugin's design fails to implement proper session management and request validation, creating an attack surface that allows unauthorized modifications to WordPress configuration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to version 1.0.9 or later of the zoho-salesiq plugin, which would incorporate proper anti-CSRF token implementation. Additionally, WordPress administrators should implement supplementary security measures such as two-factor authentication, regular security audits, and monitoring for unauthorized administrative changes. The WordPress core team and plugin developers should ensure that all administrative interfaces implement robust CSRF protection mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and security monitoring tools to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular patch management processes should be enforced to ensure that all WordPress plugins and themes remain current with security updates. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of implementing proper input validation and session management in web applications, particularly those handling administrative functions.