CVE-2023-25698 in Studio Wombat Shoppable Images Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/18/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Studio Wombat Shoppable Images plugin <= 1.2.3 versions.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/10/2023
The CVE-2023-25698 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the Studio Wombat Shoppable Images WordPress plugin affecting versions 1.2.3 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from the plugin's inadequate implementation of anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within its administrative interfaces, creating a significant security risk for WordPress sites that utilize this particular plugin. The flaw allows authenticated attackers with access to the administrative panel to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs due to the absence of proper request validation tokens or nonce verification in the plugin's administrative forms and AJAX endpoints. When administrators interact with the plugin's settings or perform administrative tasks, the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session context. This absence of cryptographic token validation enables attackers to craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, can perform unintended operations such as modifying plugin settings, creating new user accounts, or altering existing configurations. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's administrative functionality where users can manage shoppable image configurations and related settings.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it can potentially enable attackers to escalate privileges or gain persistent access to affected WordPress installations. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could modify the plugin's core functionality, inject malicious code into the shoppable image generation process, or manipulate the plugin's behavior to redirect users to malicious websites. Additionally, since the vulnerability affects the administrative interface, it could be leveraged to establish backdoors, modify user permissions, or create new administrative accounts, significantly compromising the overall security posture of the affected WordPress environment. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal user interaction beyond gaining access to an administrative session, making it an attractive target for automated exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-25698 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions 1.2.4 or later where the CSRF protection mechanisms have been properly implemented. Administrators should also implement additional security measures including regular monitoring of administrative sessions, implementing two-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and conducting thorough security audits of installed plugins. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566.001 for credential harvesting through social engineering. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and security monitoring tools to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while ensuring that all administrative interfaces require proper session validation and cryptographic token verification to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components of their WordPress infrastructure.