CVE-2023-4307 in Lock User Account Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/11/2023
The Lock User Account WordPress plugin through 1.0.3 does not have CSRF check when bulk locking and unlocking accounts, which could allow attackers to make logged in admins lock and unlock arbitrary users via a CSRF attack
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4307 affects the Lock User Account WordPress plugin version 1.0.3 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of user account management within WordPress environments. This issue stems from the absence of proper Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) protection mechanisms within the plugin's bulk account locking and unlocking functionality, creating an avenue for malicious actors to exploit authenticated administrative sessions.
The technical flaw manifests when administrators interact with the plugin's interface to perform bulk operations on user accounts, specifically locking and unlocking multiple accounts simultaneously. Without CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms, the plugin accepts requests that originate from malicious websites or compromised user sessions, allowing attackers to execute unauthorized account management operations. The vulnerability operates through a classic CSRF attack vector where an attacker crafts malicious web pages that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable plugin's endpoints. This exploitation requires no privileged credentials beyond an existing administrative session, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently access the web.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account lockout capabilities, as it provides attackers with potential for account manipulation that could lead to further compromise of WordPress installations. An attacker could lock out legitimate users, including administrators, effectively creating a denial of service condition while simultaneously gaining the ability to unlock accounts that should remain locked. This capability undermines the fundamental security controls intended by the plugin and could be leveraged to escalate privileges or maintain persistent access to compromised systems. The vulnerability particularly affects WordPress installations where the Lock User Account plugin is actively used for user management and security enforcement.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of broader web application security frameworks, particularly noting its alignment with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities. The issue also relates to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts through compromised credentials, as attackers could exploit this vulnerability to manipulate account states without needing to obtain additional authentication tokens. Mitigation strategies should include immediate plugin updates to versions that implement proper CSRF protection, implementation of additional security headers such as Content Security Policy to limit cross-origin requests, and regular security audits of installed WordPress plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests targeting known vulnerable endpoints, while administrators should be trained to recognize potentially malicious web content that could exploit such vulnerabilities.