CVE-2023-46152 in WOLF Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in realmag777 WOLF – WordPress Posts Bulk Editor and Manager Professional plugin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2023
The CVE-2023-46152 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the realmag777 WOLF WordPress Posts Bulk Editor and Manager Professional plugin. This vulnerability resides in the plugin's handling of administrative requests and lacks proper CSRF protection mechanisms. The flaw allows authenticated attackers with contributor or higher privileges to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of victims who are logged into the WordPress administration interface. The vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in critical administrative endpoints, making it possible for malicious actors to craft forged requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress system. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform actions such as publishing posts, modifying content, deleting entries, or altering user permissions without the victim's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability specifically affects versions of the WOLF plugin prior to the patch released in 2023, leaving numerous WordPress installations exposed to potential exploitation.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the plugin's request validation process, which is categorized under CWE-352 - Cross-Site Request Forgery. The flaw occurs because the plugin does not implement proper token-based validation for administrative operations, relying instead on session-based authentication alone. This design oversight creates a scenario where any request sent to the plugin's administrative endpoints can be executed without verifying the authenticity of the request origin. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, specifically targeting WordPress's administrative interface and the plugin's custom functionality for bulk post management. The attack vector requires minimal privileges, as contributors and higher-level users already possess sufficient permissions to perform destructive operations within the plugin's scope.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it provides attackers with a means to compromise WordPress site integrity and potentially escalate their access. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized content publication, data corruption, user account manipulation, or even complete site takeover in combination with other vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's accessibility means that attackers can leverage it through various attack vectors including phishing campaigns, compromised user accounts, or social engineering tactics. The stealth nature of CSRF attacks makes detection particularly challenging since legitimate requests appear to originate from authenticated users, making it difficult for administrators to distinguish between authorized and malicious activities. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can be exploited to bypass WordPress's built-in security controls, particularly those related to user role management and content publishing workflows.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-46152 involve immediate plugin updates to the latest secure versions that implement proper CSRF token validation. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as two-factor authentication, regular security audits, and monitoring of administrative activities for suspicious patterns. The WordPress security community recommends that all plugin developers adhere to the principle of secure coding practices, specifically implementing anti-CSRF mechanisms in all administrative endpoints. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential CSRF vulnerabilities within their WordPress installations and related plugins. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1548.005 - Server Software Component, specifically targeting the administrative interface components. Regular security monitoring should include detection of unauthorized administrative actions, and implementing Web Application Firewalls can help identify and block malicious CSRF requests before they reach the vulnerable plugin endpoints.