CVE-2023-3510 in FTP Access Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/11/2023
The FTP Access WordPress plugin through 1.0 does not have authorisation and CSRF checks when updating its settings and is missing sanitisation as well as escaping in them, allowing any authenticated users, such as subscriber to update them with XSS payloads, which will be triggered when an admin will view the settings of the plugin. The attack could also be perform via CSRF against any authenticated user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2023
The CVE-2023-3510 vulnerability affects the FTP Access WordPress plugin version 1.0 and represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of WordPress site administration. This vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper authorization controls and Cross-Site Request Forgery protection mechanisms when processing settings updates. The flaw allows any authenticated user account, regardless of role level including subscribers, to manipulate plugin configurations through malicious input. The vulnerability manifests through insufficient sanitization and output escaping of user-supplied data, creating an environment where malicious payloads can be injected into the plugin's settings. When administrators subsequently view these compromised settings, the stored XSS payloads execute within their browser context, potentially enabling attackers to hijack admin sessions, steal sensitive information, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the administrator.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-defined attack pattern that aligns with CWE-79 (Cross-Site Scripting) and CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) categories. The lack of proper input validation and sanitization creates a persistent XSS vector where malicious scripts can be stored and executed whenever administrators access the plugin settings page. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by the fact that it requires minimal privileges to exploit, as even low-privilege users such as subscribers can leverage this flaw. This represents a significant bypass of WordPress's role-based access control system, where normally restricted users gain elevated capabilities through the plugin's insecure implementation. The CSRF aspect of the vulnerability means that attackers can potentially exploit this flaw without requiring direct access to the target user's browser, making the attack surface broader and more difficult to defend against.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple script execution, as it can enable complete administrative takeover of affected WordPress installations. When an administrator views the compromised plugin settings, the stored XSS payloads can execute in their browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious scripts that redirect administrators to phishing sites, steal cookies and authentication tokens, or even modify site content through the compromised admin session. The vulnerability's persistence is particularly concerning because once the malicious payload is stored in the plugin settings, it will execute every time any administrator accesses those settings, creating a long-term threat vector. The attack can be performed through CSRF against any authenticated user, meaning that attackers do not need to specifically target administrators but can exploit any user account with sufficient privileges to access the plugin's settings interface.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-3510 should focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates, as the vulnerability has been addressed in newer versions. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms for all user-supplied data within the plugin's settings management interface. The implementation of proper authorization checks and CSRF tokens should be mandatory for any settings modification functionality. Security teams should monitor for unauthorized changes to plugin configurations and implement network-level monitoring to detect suspicious activities related to the affected plugin. Additionally, administrators should consider disabling the plugin until a secure version is deployed, or implementing additional security layers such as web application firewalls that can detect and block XSS attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper security testing during plugin development and the necessity of implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against such persistent threats that can compromise administrative privileges through seemingly minor security oversights.