CVE-2022-44585 in Homepage Pop-up Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/02/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Magneticlab Sàrl Homepage Pop-up plugin <= 1.2.5 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2023
The CVE-2022-44585 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw identified in the Magneticlab Sàrl Homepage Pop-up plugin version 1.2.5 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within a widely used WordPress plugin designed to display popup content on websites, making it a significant concern for web administrators and security professionals. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, creating an exploitable condition that allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in the plugin's administrative interfaces and form submissions. When users access the plugin's settings or perform administrative actions, the system fails to validate the authenticity of the requests through proper token-based verification or referer header checks. This omission creates a pathway for attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed without user knowledge or consent, particularly targeting administrators who maintain the website. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically affects the plugin's handling of HTTP POST requests to administrative endpoints, which is classified under CWE-352 according to the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation or theft, as it can enable complete compromise of affected websites through privilege escalation attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability can perform administrative actions such as modifying plugin settings, adding new users, changing passwords, or even installing malicious code. This threat is particularly severe in environments where administrators have elevated privileges or where the plugin's functionality is used to manage sensitive website content. The vulnerability affects any WordPress installation using the vulnerable plugin version, creating a substantial attack surface for threat actors who maintain awareness of the specific plugin and its version information. According to ATT&CK framework category T1548.003, this vulnerability enables privilege escalation through the manipulation of web application functionality, while T1190 represents the initial access vector through web application exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-44585 must prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF implementation gaps. WordPress administrators should verify their plugin versions and ensure all instances are updated to the latest stable release that includes proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Additionally, implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though these should not replace proper patching. Security configurations should include monitoring for unauthorized administrative actions and implementing role-based access controls to limit the potential damage from successful exploitation. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of regular security audits of third-party plugins and maintaining updated security practices, as the plugin's failure to implement basic CSRF protection represents a fundamental security oversight that could have been prevented through proper development practices and security testing. Organizations should also consider implementing security awareness training for administrators to recognize potential exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive backup and recovery procedures to address potential compromise scenarios.