CVE-2022-1600 in YOP Poll Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/01/2022
The YOP Poll WordPress plugin before 6.4.3 prioritizes getting a visitor's IP from certain HTTP headers over PHP's REMOTE_ADDR, which makes it possible to bypass IP-based limitations to vote in certain situations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2022
The YOP Poll WordPress plugin vulnerability CVE-2022-1600 represents a significant security flaw in access control mechanisms that affects versions prior to 6.4.3. This issue stems from the plugin's improper handling of IP address validation during vote processing, creating a potential pathway for unauthorized voting activities. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's ability to accurately identify visitor IP addresses by prioritizing HTTP headers over the standard PHP REMOTE_ADDR variable, which is a fundamental security practice in web application development.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the plugin's preference for HTTP headers such as X-Forwarded-For, X-Real-IP, or similar proxy headers when determining visitor IP addresses. This approach introduces a critical security weakness because these headers can be easily manipulated by malicious actors who control the request headers. The vulnerability operates under CWE-284 Access Control, specifically addressing improper access control mechanisms where the application fails to properly validate source IP addresses for voting activities. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation practices and inadequate trust boundaries in the plugin's architecture, as it assumes that HTTP headers contain legitimate information without proper verification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple vote manipulation, potentially allowing for systematic abuse of polling systems. Attackers can exploit this weakness to cast multiple votes from different IP addresses, effectively bypassing IP-based vote limiting mechanisms that are typically implemented to prevent fraud and ensure legitimate participation. This type of abuse can severely compromise the integrity of polling data, particularly in scenarios where IP restrictions are critical for maintaining fair and accurate results. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, as it allows unauthorized actors to effectively assume the identity of legitimate users through IP address manipulation, and T1566 Impersonation, where attackers impersonate other users by exploiting the IP validation system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-1600 require immediate patching to version 6.4.3 or later, which addresses the core IP validation logic. Organizations should also implement additional security measures including strict header validation, IP address reputation checks, and enhanced rate limiting mechanisms. The solution must enforce proper input sanitization and validation of HTTP headers, ensuring that only trusted proxy headers are accepted with appropriate verification processes. Security teams should consider implementing more robust authentication mechanisms beyond IP-based restrictions, such as CAPTCHA systems, user account verification, or session-based controls to prevent automated voting abuse. Additionally, monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual voting patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining compliance with industry standards such as OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework for web application security practices.