CVE-2023-5897 in customLocale
Summary
by MITRE • 11/01/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in GitHub repository pkp/customLocale prior to 1.2.0-1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2026
The vulnerability identified in the GitHub repository pkp/customLocale prior to version 1.2.0-1 represents a critical Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw that enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery conditions where applications fail to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources. The flaw manifests when the application processes requests without proper verification mechanisms to ensure that the request was intentionally initiated by the user rather than being automatically submitted through malicious web pages.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the customLocale plugin's request handling process. When users navigate to malicious websites or click on compromised links, attackers can craft requests that exploit the legitimate user session to perform actions such as modifying locale settings, adding new languages, or altering configuration parameters. This occurs because the application does not verify the authenticity of the request source through tokens, referer headers, or other validation methods that would distinguish between legitimate user-initiated requests and forged submissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification as it can lead to complete administrative control over the affected system. Attackers can leverage this flaw to inject malicious content, alter user permissions, or even disable critical functionality within the application. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where the customLocale plugin is used for managing multilingual content, as it could allow unauthorized modifications to language files and localization settings that affect the entire user experience. This type of attack aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes the use of malicious web content to gain initial access or execute malicious actions.
Mitigation strategies for this CSRF vulnerability involve implementing robust token-based validation mechanisms where each request must contain a unique, unpredictable token that is generated server-side and validated upon receipt. The fix should include generating anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations within the customLocale plugin and ensuring that these tokens are properly validated before processing any requests. Additionally, implementing proper referer header validation and utilizing the SameSite cookie attributes can provide additional layers of protection against such attacks. Organizations should also ensure that all plugins and components within their systems undergo regular security reviews to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and request authenticity verification in web applications, particularly when dealing with user-modifiable settings and configuration parameters. Without proper CSRF protection mechanisms, even seemingly benign plugins can become entry points for more sophisticated attacks that could compromise entire systems. This case highlights the necessity of following secure coding practices and implementing comprehensive security controls that address common web application vulnerabilities as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and other industry security frameworks. The remediation process should include thorough testing to ensure that all endpoints properly validate request sources and that the implemented solutions do not introduce new security weaknesses or break existing functionality within the application.