CVE-2022-47422 in HM Plugin Accept Stripe Donation Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/14/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in HM Plugin Accept Stripe Donation – AidWP plugin <= 3.1.5 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2023
The CVE-2022-47422 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the HM Plugin Accept Stripe Donation component of the AidWP plugin ecosystem. This vulnerability affects versions up to and including 3.1.5, exposing web applications that utilize this plugin to unauthorized transaction processing. The flaw resides in the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms when handling donation requests through the Stripe payment gateway integration. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages or email attachments that, when visited by authenticated users, automatically submit donation requests without their knowledge or consent. The vulnerability directly impacts the integrity of financial transactions and user trust within the affected systems.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in the donation processing endpoints. When users access the donation form, the plugin does not generate or validate unique tokens that would verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate sources. This design flaw allows attackers to leverage the browser's automatic credential handling mechanisms, where authenticated sessions are automatically included with requests. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the web application's authentication and authorization controls, and represents a classic CSRF attack vector where the attacker manipulates the victim's browser to perform unwanted actions. According to CWE-352, this vulnerability maps directly to Cross-Site Request Forgery, which occurs when a web application fails to verify the origin of requests, making it susceptible to unauthorized operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-47422 extends beyond simple financial loss to encompass broader security implications for organizations relying on the affected plugin. An attacker could potentially process unauthorized donations, drain user accounts, or manipulate donation records, leading to financial fraud and reputational damage. The vulnerability affects not only individual users but also organizations managing donation campaigns through the AidWP platform, potentially compromising the entire donation ecosystem. Attackers could exploit this weakness to conduct automated donation spamming, create fraudulent transactions, or redirect funds to unauthorized accounts. The attack vector typically involves social engineering campaigns where victims are lured to visit malicious websites while authenticated to the target system, making the exploitation particularly insidious. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments and T1071.001 for application layer protocol usage in command and control communications.
Organizations should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation to address this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves updating the HM Plugin Accept Stripe Donation component to version 3.1.6 or later, which includes proper CSRF token implementation and validation mechanisms. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as Content Security Policy headers, SameSite cookie attributes, and web application firewalls to provide defense-in-depth protection. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins or components. The affected organizations must also establish incident response procedures to monitor for unauthorized transactions and investigate potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should review access controls and implement proper logging of donation-related activities to detect anomalous patterns. According to industry best practices and NIST guidelines, organizations should maintain updated vulnerability management processes that include regular plugin and theme updates, automated scanning for known vulnerabilities, and comprehensive security monitoring to prevent exploitation of similar CSRF flaws. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper input validation and anti-CSRF mechanisms in web applications, particularly those handling financial transactions and user data.