CVE-2020-36757 in WP Hotel Booking Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2023
The WP Hotel Booking plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in versions up to, and including, 1.10.1. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the admin_add_order_item() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to add an order item via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2023
The WP Hotel Booking plugin for WordPress represents a widely used hospitality management solution that enables website administrators to handle hotel reservations, room bookings, and related transactions through a user-friendly interface. This plugin integrates seamlessly with WordPress ecosystems and provides essential booking functionalities for hotels, resorts, and vacation rental properties. However, a critical security vulnerability has been identified in versions up to and including 1.10.1 that fundamentally compromises the integrity of administrative operations within the plugin's backend systems.
The vulnerability stems from a critical flaw in the admin_add_order_item() function where proper nonce validation mechanisms are either completely absent or incorrectly implemented. Nonce validation serves as a cryptographic token that ensures requests originate from legitimate administrative sources and prevents unauthorized modifications to booking data. When this validation is compromised, the plugin fails to verify that administrative actions are genuinely initiated by authorized personnel. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and undermines the fundamental security controls that protect administrative functions from unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability is severe and potentially devastating for affected websites. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this weakness to inject malicious order items into the booking system by crafting forged requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress administrative interface. The attack requires social engineering to trick a site administrator into executing the malicious request, typically through phishing emails or compromised links, but once successful, the attacker can manipulate booking records, potentially leading to financial losses, data corruption, or unauthorized access to customer information. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications.
The implications extend beyond immediate financial damage to include potential data breaches and system integrity compromises. Attackers could manipulate booking records to create fraudulent reservations, alter pricing structures, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive customer information stored within the booking system. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as the affected plugin version is installed, making it particularly dangerous for websites that may not immediately discover or patch the issue. Organizations relying on this plugin for hospitality management face significant risks to their operational continuity and customer trust.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the nonce validation issue, ensuring that all administrative functions properly validate cryptographic tokens before processing requests. Administrators should implement additional security measures including regular security audits, monitoring of administrative actions, and education of staff about phishing threats and social engineering tactics. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of defense. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of adhering to security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and ATT&CK framework, particularly in relation to input validation and administrative access controls. Organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and regularly review their plugin security posture to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of their WordPress ecosystems.