CVE-2022-47142 in Media Library Folders Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/22/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Plugincraft Mediamatic – Media Library Folders plugin <= 2.8.1 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2023
The CVE-2022-47142 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Plugincraft Mediamatic – Media Library Folders WordPress plugin, affecting versions up to and including 2.8.1. This vulnerability exposes WordPress sites to unauthorized administrative actions that can be executed without user consent, fundamentally compromising the security integrity of the affected systems. The flaw specifically resides in how the plugin handles user requests, failing to implement proper anti-CSRF measures that would normally validate the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate administrative interfaces.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens within the plugin's administrative endpoints. When administrators perform actions such as creating, modifying, or deleting media folders through the plugin's interface, the system does not validate whether these requests originate from authenticated users within the legitimate administrative context. This omission creates a pathway for malicious actors to craft forged requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators, exploiting the trust relationship between the web application and its users. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, where the lack of proper request validation mechanisms allows attackers to manipulate the application's behavior through forged requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially enabling complete compromise of the affected WordPress installations. An attacker could leverage this flaw to create malicious folders, modify existing media organization structures, or potentially execute arbitrary code if the plugin's functionality permits such operations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the administrative level, meaning successful exploitation could result in unauthorized access to sensitive media assets, modification of critical media library configurations, or even data exfiltration through crafted folder structures. This risk is exacerbated by the fact that the vulnerability affects a widely used media management plugin, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-47142 require immediate action from affected administrators, including upgrading to the patched version of the Mediamatic plugin or implementing temporary workarounds such as disabling the vulnerable plugin functionality until a proper update is applied. Security professionals should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, monitoring for unauthorized administrative actions, and ensuring that proper authentication mechanisms are in place. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as exploitation often relies on attackers obtaining valid administrative credentials or tricking users into performing malicious actions through social engineering techniques. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security audits of their WordPress installations to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins and themes, as the absence of CSRF protections in one component often indicates broader security gaps in the overall application architecture.