CVE-2022-29435 in Code Snippets Extended Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/18/2022
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Alexander Stokmann's Code Snippets Extended plugin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2022
The CVE-2022-29435 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in Alexander Stokmann's Code Snippets Extended WordPress plugin. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's handling of administrative requests and allows unauthenticated attackers to perform arbitrary actions on vulnerable WordPress installations. The flaw specifically affects versions of the plugin prior to 2.0.3 and demonstrates the persistent nature of CSRF vulnerabilities in content management systems where proper token validation mechanisms are either absent or improperly implemented. The vulnerability operates by exploiting the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in administrative endpoints, enabling malicious actors to trick authenticated users into executing unintended administrative operations through crafted requests.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to validate request authenticity through proper token mechanisms. When administrators perform administrative actions within the plugin's interface, the system does not require verification of the request origin or implement anti-CSRF tokens that would prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. This design flaw creates a pathway for attackers to construct malicious requests that, when executed by authenticated users, can perform operations such as adding new code snippets, modifying existing snippets, or potentially executing arbitrary code within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the administrative level where users have elevated privileges, making the impact significantly more severe than typical frontend CSRF attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to encompass potential system compromise and unauthorized code execution. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious code snippets that would execute whenever the affected WordPress site is accessed, effectively creating a persistent backdoor within the target environment. The attack vector typically involves tricking an administrator into visiting a malicious website or clicking on a crafted link that automatically submits requests to the vulnerable plugin's administrative endpoints. This type of attack aligns with the attack pattern described in the ATT&CK framework under T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential harvesting through social engineering techniques. The vulnerability also maps to CWE-352 which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions in web applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate plugin updates to version 2.0.3 or later where the CSRF protection mechanisms have been properly implemented. System administrators should also implement additional security measures including network-level firewall rules that restrict access to administrative endpoints, implementation of web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attempts, and regular security audits of installed plugins and themes. Organizations should also consider implementing role-based access controls and multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of potential compromise. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the critical need for proper input validation and token implementation in web applications. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual administrative activities and unauthorized code modifications that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, the incident underscores the necessity of following secure coding practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and the ISO/IEC 27001 security standards for web application development and maintenance.