CVE-2023-50902 in New User Approve Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/29/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in WPExpertsio New User Approve.This issue affects New User Approve: from n/a through 2.5.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2024
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-50902 resides within the WPExpertsio New User Approve plugin for WordPress, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of user authentication processes. This vulnerability allows malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, exploiting the fundamental trust relationship between web applications and their users. The affected version range spans from an unspecified starting point through version 2.5.1, indicating that users operating any version within this scope remain vulnerable to exploitation.
The technical implementation of this CSRF flaw stems from the plugin's failure to properly validate and verify the origin of HTTP requests submitted through the user approval workflow. When administrators or authorized users interact with the plugin's administrative functions, such as approving new user registrations, the application does not adequately implement anti-CSRF tokens or referer validation mechanisms. This absence creates a pathway for attackers to craft malicious web pages or emails that, when visited or clicked by an authenticated user, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints. The vulnerability manifests when the application processes user approval actions without sufficient cryptographic verification or session consistency checks, making it susceptible to automated exploitation through social engineering techniques or compromised user sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate user registration workflows and gain elevated privileges within the WordPress environment. An attacker could exploit this flaw to approve malicious user accounts, thereby expanding the attack surface of the compromised website and potentially establishing persistent access points. The implications are particularly severe for websites relying on user registration approval processes, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized content publication, data manipulation, or even complete compromise of the user management system. Organizations using this plugin may face reputational damage, regulatory compliance issues, and potential data breaches if attackers successfully leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to user accounts or system resources.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin updates to the latest available version where the flaw has been addressed through proper anti-CSRF token implementation and request validation mechanisms. System administrators should also implement additional defensive measures including network-level firewall rules that restrict access to administrative endpoints, enhanced monitoring of user approval activities, and regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 related to Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers could leverage this weakness to establish persistent access through compromised user accounts. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and ensuring proper session management practices to further reduce the attack surface and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other components of their web applications.