CVE-2023-51678 in Doofinder for WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/05/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Doofinder Doofinder WP & WooCommerce Search.This issue affects Doofinder WP & WooCommerce Search: from n/a through 2.0.33.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2024
The CVE-2023-51678 vulnerability represents a critical Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw within the Doofinder WP & WooCommerce Search plugin, which is widely utilized for enhancing search functionality on wordpress and woocommerce websites. This vulnerability exists in versions ranging from the initial release through 2.0.33, creating a persistent security risk for affected installations. The flaw stems from inadequate validation of cross-site requests, allowing malicious actors to exploit the plugin's administrative functions without proper authorization. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications. The attack vector typically involves tricking authenticated users into executing unintended actions through crafted requests that leverage their existing session credentials.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability enables attackers to perform administrative operations within the targeted wordpress or woocommerce environment by exploiting the plugin's lack of proper anti-CSRF token validation. When users navigate to malicious websites or click on compromised links, the vulnerability allows unauthorized modifications to search configurations, plugin settings, or potentially even data within the woocommerce store. The flaw operates by bypassing the standard authentication mechanisms that should verify user intent before executing critical operations. This weakness directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can lead to unauthorized modifications of search parameters, which may affect product visibility, indexing behavior, or overall site functionality. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple configuration changes as it could potentially enable more severe attacks such as data manipulation or even complete site compromise.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are particularly severe for e-commerce sites relying on Doofinder's search functionality, as attackers could manipulate search results to redirect customers to malicious sites or alter product listings. The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which encompasses social engineering attacks that leverage CSRF to gain unauthorized access to systems. Organizations using the affected plugin versions face significant risk of data integrity compromise, potential customer trust erosion, and possible financial losses through manipulation of search behaviors. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to establish persistent access patterns or to perform reconnaissance activities through subtle modifications to search configurations that could reveal sensitive information about the store's inventory or user behavior patterns. The widespread adoption of this plugin across numerous woocommerce stores increases the potential attack surface and makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-51678 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions 2.0.34 or later, which contain the necessary CSRF protection mechanisms. System administrators should implement additional security measures including the deployment of web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cross-site request patterns, along with regular monitoring of administrative actions within the wordpress environment. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of defense against CSRF attacks by restricting the sources from which requests can be initiated. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their wordpress installations to identify other potential CSRF vulnerabilities and ensure that all plugins and themes maintain proper authentication and authorization controls. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning should be integrated into the organization's security posture to prevent similar issues from arising in the future. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the necessity of implementing robust anti-CSRF mechanisms within web applications, particularly those handling sensitive e-commerce data.