CVE-2022-45372 in Product Gallery Slider for WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/29/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Codeixer Product Gallery Slider for WooCommerce plugin <= 2.2.8 versions.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2023
The CVE-2022-45372 vulnerability represents a critical Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw discovered in the Codeixer Product Gallery Slider for WooCommerce plugin, affecting versions up to and including 2.2.8. This vulnerability resides within the WordPress ecosystem and specifically targets the e-commerce functionality provided by WooCommerce, making it particularly dangerous for online retailers who rely on the plugin for product display and customer engagement. The flaw allows malicious actors to manipulate user sessions and execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially compromising the integrity of online stores and customer data.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly validate and verify the origin of HTTP requests submitted through its administrative interfaces. When users access the plugin's settings or perform administrative actions such as modifying product gallery configurations, the system does not adequately enforce anti-CSRF tokens or origin validation mechanisms. This absence of proper request verification creates an exploitable condition where attackers can craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by authenticated administrators, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's ability to distinguish between legitimate user-initiated requests and those generated by malicious actors, exploiting the trust relationship between the browser and the web application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially enabling attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the compromised WordPress environment. An attacker could leverage this CSRF flaw to modify product gallery settings, inject malicious content into product displays, or even disable critical plugin functionality that affects customer purchasing experiences. The vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous when combined with other attack vectors, as it can serve as a foothold for more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation or persistent backdoor establishment. The affected WooCommerce plugin's integration with the broader WordPress admin interface means that successful exploitation could potentially lead to complete administrative control over the online store, including access to customer data, order information, and payment processing capabilities.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the latest plugin version where the CSRF vulnerability has been patched, implementing additional security layers such as Content Security Policy headers, and conducting comprehensive security audits of their WordPress installations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications, and demonstrates how inadequate input validation and missing security controls can create persistent threats in web applications. Security practitioners should also consider implementing Web Application Firewalls to detect and block suspicious request patterns, while monitoring for unusual administrative activities that might indicate CSRF attack attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1548.001 technique for privilege escalation, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized administrative access within the WordPress environment, emphasizing the need for layered defensive measures.