CVE-2019-16932 in Visualizer Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
A blind SSRF vulnerability exists in the Visualizer plugin before 3.3.1 for WordPress via wp-json/visualizer/v1/upload-data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2019-16932 represents a critical blind server-side request forgery flaw in the Visualizer WordPress plugin affecting versions prior to 3.3.1. This issue resides within the plugin's REST API endpoint at wp-json/visualizer/v1/upload-data which processes data uploads for visualization purposes. The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level privileges or higher to manipulate the plugin's data upload functionality and potentially access internal network resources that should remain protected from external access.
The technical implementation of this blind SSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the visualizer plugin's upload-data endpoint. When processing data uploads, the plugin fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied URLs or endpoints that may be passed as parameters to fetch external data sources. This allows malicious actors to craft requests that can traverse internal network boundaries and potentially access sensitive systems or data that would otherwise be protected by network segmentation. The blind nature of the vulnerability means that the attacker cannot directly observe the results of their requests, making detection more challenging but not less dangerous.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure as it provides attackers with a potential entry point for further reconnaissance and exploitation within network environments. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to probe internal services, potentially identifying other vulnerable systems, or to access sensitive information stored on internal servers. The fact that this affects WordPress plugins means that organizations using Visualizer for data visualization are at risk, particularly in environments where WordPress installations have access to internal network resources. The vulnerability affects the plugin's ability to securely process external data sources, creating a potential attack surface that could be exploited for privilege escalation or lateral movement within affected networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-16932 primarily focus on immediate patching of the Visualizer plugin to version 3.3.1 or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization measures. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access between WordPress installations and internal network resources, particularly ensuring that WordPress environments cannot directly access sensitive internal systems. Additionally, monitoring network traffic for suspicious outbound requests originating from WordPress servers can help detect exploitation attempts. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-918 Server-Side Request Forgery, and from an ATT&CK perspective it aligns with T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application and T1071.1001 Application Layer Protocol. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and their REST API endpoints should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities, and organizations should maintain updated inventories of all installed plugins and their versions to facilitate prompt patch management.