CVE-2023-45651 in WP Attachments Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Marco Milesi WP Attachments plugin <= 5.0.6 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2025
The CVE-2023-45651 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the WP Attachments plugin developed by Marco Milesi. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 5.0.6, presenting a significant security risk to WordPress websites that utilize this plugin. The flaw resides in the plugin's insufficient validation of incoming requests, allowing malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between the victim's browser and the targeted website. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's handling of administrative actions, where user authentication tokens are either absent or inadequately verified, creating an opening for unauthorized operations.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly implement anti-CSRF mechanisms within its administrative interfaces. When users with administrative privileges access certain plugin features, the application does not validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session. This weakness aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities as those that permit unauthorized commands from a user who is authenticated to a web application. The flaw essentially allows attackers to trick authenticated users into executing unintended actions without their knowledge or consent, potentially leading to complete compromise of the affected WordPress installation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification. Attackers could leverage this CSRF flaw to perform administrative actions such as uploading malicious files, modifying plugin configurations, or even creating new user accounts with elevated privileges. The implications are particularly severe given that the WP Attachments plugin handles file management operations, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to establish persistent access or deploy malicious payloads. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, as the exploitation requires no additional authentication beyond the victim's existing session.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-45651 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF validation issues. Administrators must ensure that all instances of the WP Attachments plugin are upgraded to versions 5.0.7 or later, where proper anti-CSRF token implementation has been deployed. Additionally, implementing supplemental security measures such as Content Security Policy headers, implementing proper session management, and employing web application firewalls can provide layered protection against exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of installed plugins, combined with monitoring for unauthorized administrative actions, should be conducted to identify potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing two-factor authentication for administrative accounts and regularly reviewing user permissions to minimize the impact of potential compromise. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date plugins and implementing proper input validation mechanisms to prevent unauthorized administrative actions.