CVE-2022-0424 in Popup Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/09/2022
The Popup by Supsystic WordPress plugin before 1.10.9 does not have any authentication and authorisation in an AJAX action, allowing unauthenticated attackers to call it and get the email addresses of subscribed users
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-0424 affects the Popup by Supsystic WordPress plugin version 1.10.8 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of user data protection mechanisms. This issue stems from the absence of proper authentication and authorization checks within a specific AJAX action handler, creating an exploitable entry point that bypasses normal WordPress security protocols. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to directly invoke the vulnerable endpoint and extract sensitive information from the plugin's user subscription database.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's AJAX handling mechanism where the developers failed to implement necessary security validations before processing user data requests. The AJAX action in question lacks any form of user authentication verification or capability checks, meaning that any visitor to the WordPress site can submit requests to this endpoint without providing valid credentials or administrative privileges. This design flaw directly violates fundamental security principles that require proper access control enforcement before processing sensitive operations, making it susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors who can systematically harvest email addresses from subscribed users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with a comprehensive list of user email addresses that can be leveraged for various malicious activities including targeted phishing campaigns, spam distribution, and social engineering attacks. The compromised data represents a significant privacy breach that affects all users who have subscribed to the popup notifications through the plugin, potentially exposing them to increased security risks. This vulnerability particularly impacts WordPress sites that rely heavily on user engagement through subscription mechanisms, as the exposed email addresses can be immediately utilized for mass communication attacks that circumvent normal spam filtering mechanisms.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to version 1.10.9 or later, which contains the necessary authentication checks and authorization controls. Security administrators should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as rate limiting on AJAX endpoints, monitoring for unusual access patterns, and reviewing plugin permissions to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive functionality. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-306, which describes missing authentication for critical functions, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege that should be enforced in all web application components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566 for social engineering and T1592 for reconnaissance activities, as attackers can use the harvested email addresses to conduct more sophisticated targeting operations.
The remediation process requires immediate attention from WordPress site administrators who must verify that the plugin has been updated to the patched version and confirm that no other similar authentication gaps exist within their WordPress installation. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts through unusual AJAX request patterns, and network traffic analysis should be performed to identify any unauthorized access attempts that may have occurred before the patch was applied. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of implementing comprehensive authentication controls even for seemingly minor functionality within web applications, as the absence of proper access controls can lead to significant data exposure and privacy violations that affect numerous end users.