CVE-2022-1843 in MailPress Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/27/2022
The MailPress WordPress plugin through 7.2.1 does not have CSRF checks in various places, which could allow attackers to make a logged in admin change the settings, purge log files and more via CSRF attacks
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2022
The MailPress WordPress plugin version 7.2.1 and earlier contains a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that compromises administrative privileges and system integrity. This vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within multiple administrative endpoints of the plugin, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors who can exploit this weakness to execute unauthorized administrative actions on vulnerable WordPress installations.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing anti-CSRF token validation across various administrative functions within the MailPress plugin. When administrators access the plugin's administrative interface, the system fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than forged requests submitted by attackers. This absence of token validation allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated admin sessions, enabling them to perform critical administrative operations without proper authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass a broad range of malicious activities that can severely compromise WordPress installations. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to modify plugin settings, potentially disabling security features or altering email delivery configurations, purge log files to cover their tracks, and execute other administrative functions that could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects any WordPress installation running the vulnerable MailPress plugin version, making it particularly dangerous given the widespread use of WordPress and its plugins.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. This categorization emphasizes the fundamental flaw in the plugin's design where proper session validation mechanisms are absent. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Phishing, as attackers can exploit the administrative session to maintain persistence and potentially gain further access to the system through compromised administrative credentials.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF vulnerability, as the vendor has likely released patches to implement proper anti-CSRF token validation. Organizations should also implement additional security measures including monitoring for suspicious administrative activities, enforcing strong access controls, and conducting regular security audits of installed plugins. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional layers of defense, though the most effective approach remains ensuring all plugins are kept up to date with security patches and that proper security configurations are maintained across the WordPress installation.