CVE-2022-1957 in Comment License Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/11/2022
The Comment License WordPress plugin before 1.4.0 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
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-1957 affects the Comment License WordPress plugin version 1.4.0 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of administrative configurations. This issue stems from the absence of Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) protection mechanisms within the plugin's administrative settings update functionality, creating a significant attack vector for malicious actors who can manipulate logged-in administrators through deceptive web requests.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's failure to implement proper CSRF token validation when processing administrative setting changes. When an authenticated administrator visits a malicious website or clicks on a compromised link, the attacker can craft a request that appears legitimate to the WordPress administration interface. This occurs because the plugin does not verify that the request originated from a trusted source within the administrator's session, allowing unauthorized modifications to be executed silently in the background. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's settings update endpoint, where configuration changes can be made without proper authentication verification beyond the existing session token.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to perform unauthorized administrative actions that could severely compromise website security and functionality. An attacker could modify license terms, alter comment display settings, or potentially disable critical security features within the plugin. The attack requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious page, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed automatically through various social engineering techniques. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates entirely within the context of an authenticated session, meaning the attacker does not need to perform additional authentication steps to exploit the flaw.
The weakness aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering approaches. Organizations using affected versions of the Comment License plugin face significant risk of unauthorized configuration changes that could lead to data exposure, service disruption, or further compromise of their WordPress installations. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in implementing proper input validation and request origin verification, which are essential security controls for any web application handling administrative functions.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate plugin updates to version 1.4.0 or later, which include the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as role-based access controls, regular security audits, and monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and strict content security policies can provide additional defense in depth. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins or custom code components that may lack proper CSRF protection mechanisms.