CVE-2022-44627 in David Cole Simple SEO Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/04/2022
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in David Cole Simple SEO plugin <= 1.8.12 on WordPress allows attackers to create or delete sitemaps.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2022
The CVE-2022-44627 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the David Cole Simple SEO WordPress plugin version 1.8.12 and earlier. This vulnerability exists in the plugin's handling of administrative actions related to sitemap management, specifically allowing unauthorized modifications to the website's sitemap structure. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, which are essential for preventing malicious actors from executing unintended administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP requests that target the plugin's sitemap creation and deletion endpoints. When a logged-in administrator visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can trigger requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress system because they are executed within the context of an authenticated session. This lack of anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms means that any user with administrative privileges can be coerced into performing sitemap modifications without their knowledge or consent. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's ability to authenticate and validate the origin of administrative requests, creating a pathway for unauthorized modifications to the website's search engine optimization infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple sitemap manipulation, as it can significantly affect a website's search engine visibility and indexing behavior. Attackers can exploit this flaw to delete critical sitemaps, potentially causing search engines to lose track of important pages, or create malicious sitemaps that redirect users to harmful content. This can result in decreased search rankings, potential security breaches through malicious redirects, and overall degradation of the website's SEO performance. The vulnerability also enables attackers to disrupt normal website operations by removing sitemaps that are essential for proper indexing, which can lead to search engine penalties and reduced organic traffic.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-44627 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF vulnerability, typically those beyond 1.8.12 where proper anti-CSRF token implementation has been introduced. System administrators should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring for unusual sitemap modifications, enforcing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and regularly auditing plugin configurations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in web application security. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence through web application manipulation, potentially enabling attackers to establish long-term influence over website content and search engine behavior. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious CSRF patterns, while ensuring that all administrative interfaces properly validate request origins and implement robust session management practices.