CVE-2019-15660 in wp-members plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The wp-members plugin before 3.2.8 for WordPress has CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2024
The wp-members plugin for WordPress represents a widely used membership management solution that has been identified with a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability in versions prior to 3.2.8. This vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF measures when processing administrative actions, creating a significant security risk for WordPress installations that rely on this membership management tool. The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with membership management privileges to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's handling of administrative requests where it fails to validate the presence of a valid anti-CSRF token or nonce. When administrators perform actions such as modifying user permissions, updating membership settings, or managing user accounts, the plugin processes these requests without sufficient validation mechanisms. This absence of proper token validation creates an exploitable condition where malicious actors can craft specially crafted requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform unintended operations. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's administrative interfaces where user management and membership configuration occur.
The operational impact of this CSRF vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it can lead to complete compromise of membership management functionality within WordPress installations. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to modify user roles, disable membership restrictions, or even add new administrator accounts, effectively undermining the security model that the wp-members plugin is designed to enforce. The risk is particularly severe in environments where administrators frequently access the plugin's administrative interface, as the attack can be executed through social engineering techniques or by compromising user sessions through other means. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can result in unauthorized access to sensitive membership data and system configurations.
Organizations utilizing the wp-members plugin should immediately upgrade to version 3.2.8 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the patch addresses the missing anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should implement proper session management practices and consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and prevent CSRF attack patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, and represents a clear violation of the web application security principle of requiring proper authentication and authorization for administrative actions. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of their WordPress installations to identify any other plugins or themes that may exhibit similar CSRF vulnerabilities, as this represents a common class of security flaws in content management systems. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, where attackers leverage weak session controls to gain elevated system access.