CVE-2023-36682 in Schema Pro Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/30/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Brainstorm Force US LLC Schema Pro allows Cross Site Request Forgery.This issue affects Schema Pro: from n/a through 2.7.7.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-36682 represents a critical Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw within the Schema Pro plugin developed by Brainstorm Force US LLC. This CSRF vulnerability exists in versions ranging from an unspecified starting point through version 2.7.7, creating a significant security risk for WordPress installations that utilize this plugin. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF measures, specifically the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in critical administrative functions that modify plugin settings or perform administrative actions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to execute unauthorized administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users who visit malicious websites or click on compromised links. When a user with administrative privileges accesses a malicious site while logged into their WordPress dashboard, the attacker can craft requests that leverage the user's existing authentication session to perform actions such as modifying plugin configurations, changing settings, or potentially executing arbitrary code within the plugin's functionality. This occurs because the plugin does not validate the origin of requests or require unique tokens that would verify the authenticity of user intent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it can potentially allow attackers to escalate privileges or gain deeper access to the WordPress installation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to modify schema markup configurations, potentially affecting how search engines interpret website content, or to manipulate plugin settings that might affect site functionality. The vulnerability affects any user with sufficient privileges to access the Schema Pro administrative interface, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where administrators might delegate certain capabilities to less privileged users.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw demonstrates a failure to implement proper session management and request validation mechanisms that are fundamental requirements in secure web application design. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1566.001 (Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment) and T1078.004 (Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts) where attackers could leverage authenticated sessions to perform unauthorized actions. The vulnerability also relates to T1213.002 (Data from Information Repositories: Databases) as it could potentially allow attackers to manipulate data stored within the plugin's configuration systems.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability should include immediate patching of the Schema Pro plugin to version 2.7.8 or later, which contains the necessary anti-CSRF token implementations. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as regularly monitoring plugin updates, restricting administrative privileges to only essential users, and implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cross-site requests. Network-level protections such as Content Security Policy headers can also help prevent unauthorized requests from being executed in the context of authenticated sessions. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify other potentially vulnerable plugins and ensure that all administrative interfaces properly implement CSRF protection mechanisms.