CVE-2022-46798 in HasThemes ShopLentor Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/01/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in HasThemes ShopLentor plugin <= 2.5.1 leading to plugin settings change.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2023
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-46798 affects the HasThemes ShopLentor WordPress plugin version 2.5.1 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's handling of administrative requests and represents a critical security flaw that can be exploited by malicious actors to perform unauthorized actions on vulnerable sites. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's settings modification functionality, allowing attackers to manipulate configuration parameters without proper authorization. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which categorizes Cross-Site Request Forgery as a fundamental web application security weakness where the application fails to validate the origin of requests. The issue is particularly concerning because it operates at the administrative level, potentially enabling attackers to modify critical plugin settings that could compromise the entire website's functionality or security posture. The vulnerability enables attackers to leverage the authenticated session of a logged-in administrator to execute malicious requests, exploiting the trust relationship between the user and the web application. This flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which describes valid accounts being used to perform actions that bypass security controls.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper request validation mechanisms for administrative settings changes. When an administrator performs actions within the ShopLentor plugin interface, the application should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources through the use of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation methods. However, the vulnerable version lacks this crucial protection mechanism, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted requests that can be executed through social engineering or by tricking administrators into visiting malicious websites. The vulnerability occurs because the plugin's settings update endpoints do not require or properly validate anti-CSRF tokens, making it possible for attackers to submit requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators. This flaw demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege and proper input validation, as the application does not adequately verify the authenticity of incoming requests before processing them. The attack vector typically involves constructing malicious HTML forms or JavaScript code that automatically submits requests to the plugin's administrative endpoints, leveraging the administrator's existing session to perform unauthorized modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, potentially allowing attackers to compromise the entire website's integrity and security. An attacker could modify plugin settings to disable security features, alter payment processing configurations, change user roles, or even install malicious code through compromised plugin functionality. The ability to manipulate administrative settings creates a significant risk of data exposure, service disruption, and potential lateral movement within the compromised environment. This vulnerability can lead to a complete takeover of the affected plugin's functionality, enabling persistent access and further exploitation opportunities. Organizations using the ShopLentor plugin in versions 2.5.1 or earlier face a substantial risk of unauthorized modifications that could affect e-commerce operations, user data integrity, and overall website security. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it requires minimal user interaction to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently visit external websites or are targeted through phishing campaigns.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-46798 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 2.5.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the CSRF vulnerability. Organizations should also implement additional security measures including the deployment of web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious CSRF attempts, regular monitoring of plugin configuration changes, and implementation of multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all administrative interfaces properly implement anti-CSRF protection mechanisms. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while regular security audits should verify that all plugin components properly validate request origins and implement appropriate authentication checks. The remediation process should also include educating administrators about the risks of CSRF attacks and implementing security awareness training to reduce the likelihood of successful social engineering attempts that could exploit this vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect unusual administrative activities or unauthorized configuration changes that may indicate exploitation attempts.