CVE-2022-1818 in Multi-Page Toolkit Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/20/2022
The Multi-page Toolkit WordPress plugin through 2.6 does not have CSRF check in place when updating its settings, which could allow attackers to make a logged in admin change them via a CSRF attack and lead to Stored Cross-Site Scripting due to the lack of sanitisation and escaping as well
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/20/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-1818 affects the Multi-page Toolkit WordPress plugin version 2.6 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw that stems from inadequate cross-site request forgery protection mechanisms. This weakness allows authenticated attackers with administrative privileges to manipulate plugin settings through maliciously crafted requests without proper validation. The vulnerability resides in the plugin's failure to implement proper CSRF tokens during the settings update process, creating an avenue for attackers to exploit the administrative session and execute unauthorized modifications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interface. When administrators access the plugin settings page and submit changes, the system fails to validate that the request originated from a legitimate administrative session. This oversight creates a persistent security gap where attackers can craft malicious web pages or emails containing hidden form submissions that target the vulnerable plugin's settings endpoint. The lack of CSRF token validation means that any authenticated administrator session can be hijacked to perform unauthorized actions, making this a particularly dangerous flaw in the context of WordPress administration.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-1818 extends beyond simple configuration changes to include severe security implications through the potential for stored cross-site scripting attacks. While the primary vulnerability enables unauthorized setting modifications, the absence of proper sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase creates a secondary vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's settings. This combination of flaws transforms a simple configuration manipulation into a potential vector for executing malicious code within the context of the administrator's browser, potentially leading to complete compromise of the WordPress installation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper session validation and request origin verification in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1546 Persistence, as attackers can leverage administrative privileges to maintain access and potentially establish persistent backdoors through the modified plugin settings. The weakness also relates to T1213 Data from Information Repositories, as the compromised plugin settings could be used to exfiltrate sensitive information or manipulate the site's functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-1818 require immediate attention from WordPress administrators, including updating to the latest version of the Multi-page Toolkit plugin where the CSRF protection has been implemented. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes, implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attacks, and ensuring that administrative sessions are properly secured with additional authentication layers. Network segmentation and least privilege access principles should be enforced to minimize the potential impact if an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should include checks for similar CSRF vulnerabilities in other WordPress plugins, as this represents a common class of security flaw that affects many third-party components.