CVE-2023-34005 in Etoile Web Design Front End Users Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/17/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Etoile Web Design Front End Users plugin <= 3.2.24 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2023
The CVE-2023-34005 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the Etoile Web Design Front End Users plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability affects versions 3.2.24 and earlier, exposing websites that utilize this plugin to potential unauthorized actions performed by malicious actors. The flaw resides in the plugin's insufficient validation of user requests, particularly when processing administrative functions that modify user permissions or access levels. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrators, thereby bypassing the standard authentication and authorization mechanisms that typically protect sensitive operations within WordPress installations.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-forgery tokens or origin validation checks when processing user management requests. When administrators perform actions such as granting or revoking user privileges, modifying user roles, or altering access controls through the plugin's front-end interface, the system does not adequately verify that these requests are genuinely initiated by authenticated users. This absence of request validation creates an exploitable condition where attackers can construct specially crafted web pages or emails containing malicious links that, when clicked by an authenticated administrator, automatically execute unauthorized administrative actions without the user's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the plugin's user management functionality, making it particularly dangerous for sites that rely on the plugin for front-end user administration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially compromise entire website security postures. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF flaw can elevate user privileges, create new administrator accounts, modify existing user permissions, or even delete critical user data without detection. This capability significantly undermines the integrity of user access controls and can lead to complete system compromise, especially when combined with other vulnerabilities or when the affected website hosts sensitive information. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it requires minimal technical expertise from threat actors and can be executed through social engineering techniques such as phishing emails or compromised websites that embed malicious content. The vulnerability affects WordPress installations where the Etoile Web Design Front End Users plugin is actively deployed, potentially impacting thousands of websites depending on the plugin's adoption rate within the WordPress ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-34005 primarily involve immediate plugin version updates to remediate the identified CSRF flaw. Users should upgrade to version 3.2.25 or later, which incorporates proper anti-forgery token implementation and enhanced request validation mechanisms. Security administrators should also implement additional protective measures such as monitoring for unauthorized user management activities, reviewing access logs for suspicious patterns, and ensuring that administrators use secure browsing practices. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and security monitoring solutions can help detect and block malicious requests attempting to exploit this vulnerability. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The attack pattern corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which involves legitimate credentials usage for privilege escalation, as the vulnerability enables unauthorized actions through authenticated sessions. Organizations should also consider implementing the principle of least privilege for administrative accounts and regularly auditing user permissions to minimize potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.