CVE-2021-4408 in DW Question & Answer Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2023
The DW Question & Answer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in versions up to, and including, 1.5.8. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the update_answer() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update answers to questions 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 DW Question & Answer plugin for WordPress represents a widely used solution for creating question and answer portals on wordpress websites. This plugin facilitates community engagement by allowing users to submit questions and receive answers from administrators and other users. However, a critical security vulnerability has been identified in versions up to and including 1.5.8 that fundamentally compromises the integrity of the plugin's administrative functions. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the plugin's update_answer() function, which serves as a critical endpoint for modifying existing answers within the system.
The core technical flaw lies in the absence of proper nonce validation within the update_answer() function. A nonce is a cryptographic token that ensures requests originate from legitimate sources and that users have proper authorization to perform specific actions. This vulnerability enables attackers to forge requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators, thereby bypassing the standard security controls. The flaw operates at the application level and specifically affects the plugin's ability to verify that administrative actions are genuinely initiated by authorized personnel rather than malicious actors exploiting the lack of proper validation.
The operational impact of this cross-site request forgery vulnerability is significant and potentially devastating for websites using the affected plugin versions. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this weakness to modify existing answers to questions, potentially inserting malicious content, false information, or spam. The attack requires social engineering to trick administrators into clicking on malicious links, but once successful, it allows attackers to alter content that may be viewed by numerous users. This could result in reputation damage, misinformation campaigns, or even serve as a stepping stone for more severe attacks on the overall website infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the plugin's data integrity and could compromise the trust users place in the information presented on the site.
Security practitioners should immediately update to the latest plugin version where this vulnerability has been patched, as the fix typically involves implementing proper nonce validation within the update_answer() function. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their wordpress installations to identify any other potentially vulnerable plugins or components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery issues in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.002 for social engineering techniques and T1071.001 for application layer protocols. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as web application firewalls, monitoring for suspicious administrative actions, and regular security audits to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other components of their wordpress infrastructure.