CVE-2023-51535 in Anti-Spam Protection Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/05/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in СleanTalk - Anti-Spam Protection Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk.This issue affects Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk: from n/a through 6.20.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2024
The CVE-2023-51535 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the CleanTalk Anti-Spam Protection plugin, specifically impacting versions ranging from an unspecified minimum to version 6.20. This vulnerability resides in the plugin's web application interface where user authentication tokens are improperly validated or omitted during critical administrative operations. The flaw allows authenticated attackers with access to the WordPress admin panel to execute unauthorized actions against the target system without user knowledge or consent. The vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms in its administrative interfaces, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the application's behavior through crafted requests. This issue directly violates the fundamental security principle of request validation and authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative privileges are compromised.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability manifests in the plugin's handling of administrative actions such as spam protection configuration changes, firewall rule modifications, and other critical security settings. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious web pages or emails that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, automatically submit requests to the CleanTalk plugin's administrative endpoints. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects core security functionality including spam protection, anti-spam measures, and firewall capabilities. The flaw operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the plugin's user interface components that process administrative requests without adequate token verification. This weakness creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as the vulnerable plugin version is installed and active on the WordPress platform, potentially allowing attackers to exfiltrate data, modify security configurations, or disable protective measures entirely.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability extend beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can lead to complete compromise of the WordPress site's security posture. An attacker exploiting this CSRF vulnerability could disable spam protection mechanisms, modify firewall rules to allow malicious traffic, or alter spam detection parameters to increase false positive rates. The impact is particularly severe because CleanTalk's plugin is designed to protect against spam and malicious activity, making its compromise a significant security regression. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique through web application manipulation, where attackers leverage existing administrative sessions to execute unauthorized commands. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the plugin's security architecture that was not adequately addressed through patch releases.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability should begin with immediate plugin updates to the latest available version where the issue has been resolved. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as role-based access controls, two-factor authentication, and regular security audits of installed plugins. The WordPress security community should monitor for similar vulnerabilities in other anti-spam and security plugins, as this flaw demonstrates a common pattern in web application development where CSRF protection mechanisms are either missing or improperly implemented. Security professionals should also consider implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative activity patterns. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and token-based authentication in web applications, particularly in security-focused plugins where the consequences of exploitation can be severe. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify other potential CSRF vulnerabilities in third-party plugins and themes.