CVE-2019-15780 in formidable Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The formidable plugin before 4.02.01 for WordPress has unsafe deserialization.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-15780 affects the formidable plugin for WordPress systems prior to version 4.02.01, representing a critical security flaw that exposes systems to potential exploitation through unsafe object deserialization techniques. This issue falls under the category of insecure deserialization vulnerabilities, which occur when applications deserialize untrusted data without proper validation or sanitization. The formidable plugin, widely used for creating forms and collecting user data within WordPress environments, becomes susceptible to malicious attacks when processing serialized data that has not been properly validated.
The technical flaw stems from the plugin's failure to implement adequate input validation mechanisms during the deserialization process of user-supplied data. When the plugin processes serialized objects, it does not sufficiently sanitize or verify the integrity of the serialized data before attempting to reconstruct the objects in memory. This creates an environment where attackers can craft malicious serialized payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable plugin, can lead to arbitrary code execution or other destructive outcomes. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to manipulate the deserialization process and potentially execute arbitrary commands on the affected WordPress server.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise, as it can enable full system compromise and persistent access to affected WordPress installations. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can leverage the unsafe deserialization to execute malicious code with the privileges of the web server, potentially leading to complete system takeover. This risk is exacerbated by the widespread adoption of the formidable plugin, meaning that numerous WordPress sites could be vulnerable simultaneously. The vulnerability also provides attackers with potential persistence mechanisms, as they can establish backdoors or maintain access to compromised systems for extended periods.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to address this vulnerability, as the remediation process involves updating the formidable plugin to version 4.02.01 or later. Organizations should also implement network monitoring and intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts, while conducting thorough security assessments of all WordPress installations to identify additional vulnerable components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-502, which specifically addresses unsafe deserialization in software systems, and represents a common attack vector that maps to several techniques within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to code injection and privilege escalation. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls, restricting file upload capabilities, and establishing proper input validation controls to prevent malicious serialized data from being processed by the application.