CVE-2021-36886 in CFDB7 Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/22/2021
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability discovered in Contact Form 7 Database Addon – CFDB7 WordPress plugin (versions
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2021
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-36886 affects the Contact Form 7 Database Addon plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions that fail to implement proper anti-CSRF protections. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's handling of administrative requests and allows authenticated attackers with access to a victim's browser session to execute unauthorized actions against the WordPress installation. The flaw stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in critical administrative endpoints, making it possible for malicious actors to craft forged requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress backend. According to CWE-352, this represents a classic cross-site request forgery vulnerability where the application fails to validate that requests originate from the intended source, enabling attackers to perform actions without proper authorization. The vulnerability impacts the plugin's database management functionality, potentially allowing unauthorized data manipulation, deletion, or exposure of sensitive form submission data.
The technical implementation of this CSRF flaw occurs when administrators interact with the plugin's administrative interface, particularly when performing operations such as data export, database cleanup, or configuration changes. The plugin fails to validate the presence of anti-CSRF tokens in requests submitted through the WordPress admin area, creating a window of opportunity for attackers to exploit the authenticated session. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting malicious web pages or emails containing hidden form submissions that automatically trigger administrative actions on the victim's browser when they visit the malicious content. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's handling of POST requests to administrative endpoints that modify database records or configuration settings, making it particularly dangerous for environments where administrators frequently access the plugin's features. This flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.002 which describes abuse of application permissions to escalate privileges or perform unauthorized actions within applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-36886 extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of contact form submissions stored in the database. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive customer information, manipulate form data, or disrupt the contact form functionality entirely. The risk is particularly elevated in environments where the plugin is used for critical business processes such as customer support forms, lead capture systems, or registration forms containing personal identifiable information. The vulnerability also creates potential for privilege escalation if the plugin's administrative functions can be leveraged to modify user permissions or access control settings within the WordPress installation. Organizations running vulnerable versions face significant exposure to data breaches, compliance violations, and potential reputational damage. The attack vector requires only that a victim administrator visits a malicious page while authenticated to the WordPress admin area, making it particularly difficult to defend against. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper input validation and anti-CSRF measures in all administrative interfaces, as highlighted by security best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST guidelines for web application security. Organizations should immediately update to patched versions of the plugin, implement additional monitoring for unauthorized administrative actions, and review their security configurations to ensure proper CSRF protection mechanisms are in place across all WordPress plugins and themes.