CVE-2021-45007 in Plesk
Summary
by MITRE • 02/20/2022
Plesk 18.0.37 is affected by a Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability that allows an attacker to insert data on the user and admin panel.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-45007 affects Plesk version 18.0.37 and represents a critical cross site request forgery flaw that undermines the security integrity of both user and administrator panels. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the web application framework. The flaw allows malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, creating a significant risk to system confidentiality and integrity. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects administrative functions within the Plesk control panel, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate critical system configurations and user data.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs due to the absence of robust origin validation mechanisms and anti-CSRF tokens in the request processing pipeline. When users navigate to malicious websites or receive crafted email attachments containing malicious links, the attacker can trigger unauthorized operations within the Plesk interface. This occurs because the application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same origin domain, allowing attackers to leverage the authenticated session of legitimate users. The vulnerability specifically impacts the administrative panel functionality, where users can perform sensitive operations such as creating new accounts, modifying existing configurations, or altering system settings. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-352 vulnerability, which directly maps to cross site request forgery attacks that exploit the implicit trust a web application places in a user's browser.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to encompass potential system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain persistent access to administrative functions, potentially leading to complete system takeover. The vulnerability affects both end-user and administrator interfaces, creating a multi-layered threat vector that can be exploited at different levels of the application stack. Organizations running Plesk 18.0.37 are particularly vulnerable because the flaw exists in the core authentication and authorization mechanisms, making it difficult to isolate and contain the attack surface. The attack vector typically involves social engineering campaigns where users are tricked into clicking malicious links, or through direct exploitation of the vulnerability in environments where users have administrative privileges. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves modifying system binaries and configuration files to maintain persistence and escalate privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-45007 require immediate implementation of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the Plesk application framework. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing requests include unique, unpredictable tokens that are validated on the server side before processing. The implementation should follow established security best practices including token regeneration after each successful authentication and proper session management protocols. Regular security updates and patches should be applied immediately upon availability, as Plesk has released fixes for this vulnerability in subsequent versions. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper origin validation can further reduce the attack surface. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any additional CSRF vulnerabilities within the Plesk environment and related applications. Additionally, user education programs should be implemented to raise awareness about social engineering attacks that exploit CSRF vulnerabilities, particularly those involving email phishing campaigns and malicious website redirections.