CVE-2022-29439 in Image Slider Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/15/2022
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Image Slider by NextCode plugin <= 1.1.2 at WordPress allows deleting slides.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/16/2022
The CVE-2022-29439 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Image Slider by NextCode WordPress plugin version 1.1.2 and earlier. This vulnerability resides in the plugin's handling of administrative requests, specifically targeting the slide deletion functionality. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary slide deletion commands on vulnerable WordPress sites, potentially compromising the visual content and user experience of affected installations. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interfaces, making it susceptible to exploitation through crafted malicious requests that leverage the trust relationship between the victim browser and the targeted WordPress installation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic CSRF attack vector where the malicious actor crafts a request that, when executed by an authenticated user's browser, performs unauthorized actions on the target site. The vulnerability affects the plugin's slide management system, where delete operations lack adequate token validation or referer checking mechanisms. This allows attackers to construct malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited by an administrator with appropriate privileges, automatically submit deletion requests to the vulnerable plugin's backend endpoints. The flaw operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the WordPress plugin architecture and its administrative interface handling.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-29439 extends beyond simple content deletion, as it represents a potential gateway for more severe attacks within the WordPress ecosystem. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can disrupt website content presentation, potentially causing significant user experience degradation and loss of business-critical visual content. The vulnerability particularly affects WordPress sites that rely heavily on image sliders for product showcases, portfolio presentations, or content organization, where unauthorized deletion of slides could result in substantial reputational damage. Additionally, this vulnerability may serve as a stepping stone for attackers to escalate privileges or conduct further reconnaissance within compromised WordPress environments.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms. WordPress administrators should ensure all plugins are regularly updated and maintained, with particular attention to third-party plugins that handle administrative functions. The implementation of additional security layers such as web application firewalls, proper input validation, and the enforcement of anti-CSRF tokens in all administrative endpoints provides comprehensive protection against similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing role-based access controls and monitoring for unusual administrative activities that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses, and falls under ATT&CK technique T1548.002 for privilege escalation through the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities. The remediation process requires not only patching the vulnerable plugin but also conducting security audits of all installed WordPress plugins to identify similar CSRF vulnerabilities that may exist in the broader plugin ecosystem.