CVE-2022-27432 in Pluck
Summary
by MITRE • 03/30/2022
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in Pluck CMS v4.7.15 allows attackers to change the password of any given user by exploiting this feature leading to account takeover.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-27432 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within Pluck CMS version 4.7.15 that enables unauthorized attackers to compromise user accounts through password modification. This vulnerability resides in the web application's insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation, creating a significant security risk for all users of the affected content management system. The flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated user, can silently modify user credentials without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of robust request verification mechanisms within the password change functionality of Pluck CMS. When a user navigates to a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can trigger a request to the CMS password change endpoint without the victim's knowledge or consent. The CMS fails to validate that the request originates from the legitimate application interface rather than an external malicious source. This weakness directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, affecting the authentication and session management components that should enforce proper authorization controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as successful exploitation can lead to complete account takeover and potential lateral movement within the compromised system. An attacker who successfully changes a user's password gains persistent access to that account, potentially enabling them to modify content, access sensitive information, or use the compromised account for further attacks. The vulnerability affects all users of the affected CMS version, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited against any user account without requiring prior access credentials. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which describes credential harvesting through social engineering and phishing attacks, as the CSRF attack vector can be delivered through malicious websites or emails that trick users into executing unauthorized actions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms including the use of unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that are validated on every state-changing request. Organizations should immediately upgrade to the latest version of Pluck CMS where this vulnerability has been patched, as the developers have addressed the missing CSRF protection mechanisms. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers, enforcing proper referer validation, and ensuring that all sensitive operations require explicit user confirmation can help prevent exploitation. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can also provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though they should not be relied upon as the sole mitigation strategy. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing comprehensive security controls around all user-facing functionality that modifies application state, as even seemingly simple features like password changes can become attack vectors when proper security measures are absent.