CVE-2023-51545 in Job Manager & Career Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/29/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in ThemeHigh Job Manager & Career – Manage job board listings, and recruitments.This issue affects Job Manager & Career – Manage job board listings, and recruitments: from n/a through 1.4.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2024
The CVE-2023-51545 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the ThemeHigh Job Manager & Career WordPress plugin that combines cross-site request forgery and deserialization of untrusted data vulnerabilities. This dual nature of the vulnerability creates a particularly dangerous attack surface that could allow malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on affected WordPress installations. The plugin, which manages job board listings and recruitment processes, is widely used across various organizations and businesses that rely on job posting and candidate management functionalities. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 1.4.4, making numerous installations potentially exposed to exploitation. This issue falls under the broader category of web application security vulnerabilities that can compromise the integrity and confidentiality of web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied data within the plugin's processing mechanisms. The deserialization of untrusted data component indicates that the plugin accepts serialized data from external sources without proper verification, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious payloads that can be executed when the data is processed. The CSRF element suggests that the plugin fails to implement proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms for critical administrative functions, allowing attackers to trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions. This combination means that an attacker could potentially leverage a CSRF attack to deliver malicious serialized data that gets processed by the vulnerable plugin, resulting in remote code execution or complete system compromise. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-502 which specifically addresses deserialization of untrusted data, and CWE-352 which covers cross-site request forgery issues.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-51545 extends beyond simple data theft or modification, as it represents a potential path to complete system compromise. Organizations using the affected plugin versions face risks including unauthorized access to job board data, manipulation of recruitment processes, potential data breaches, and in severe cases, complete takeover of the WordPress installation. The vulnerability affects not just individual job listings but entire recruitment systems that may contain sensitive personal information, application data, and business-critical recruitment metrics. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to add malicious users to the system, modify job postings to include malicious links, or even deploy backdoors for persistent access. The impact is particularly severe for businesses that rely heavily on their job boards for recruitment activities, as compromised systems could disrupt hiring processes and potentially expose confidential candidate information. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1210 which covers exploitation of remote services, and T1078 which covers valid accounts usage, indicating potential for privilege escalation and persistent access.
Organizations should immediately update to version 1.4.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as no effective workarounds exist for this type of security flaw. The patch likely includes proper input validation for deserialized data and implementation of CSRF protection mechanisms for administrative functions. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of their WordPress installations to identify any other potentially vulnerable plugins or themes that might be susceptible to similar vulnerabilities. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests, monitoring for unusual administrative activities, and ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to administrative functions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of keeping third-party WordPress plugins updated and following security best practices for web application development, particularly regarding data validation and authentication mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing security monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns consistent with CSRF attacks or deserialization exploits.