CVE-2024-38790 in Smartsupp Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/02/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Smartsupp Smartsupp – live chat, chatbots, AI and lead generation allows Cross Site Request Forgery.This issue affects Smartsupp – live chat, chatbots, AI and lead generation: from n/a through 3.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2025
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-38790 represents a critical security flaw in the Smartsupp WordPress plugin that enables unauthorized execution of actions within the targeted application. This vulnerability specifically impacts the Smartsupp live chat, chatbots, AI and lead generation plugin version 3.6 and earlier, creating a pathway for attackers to manipulate user sessions and perform unauthorized operations. The issue stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the plugin's administrative interfaces. According to CWE-352, this vulnerability falls under the category of Cross-Site Request Forgery, which occurs when a web application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources. The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated users and the web application, potentially enabling them to execute malicious actions without the user's knowledge or consent. The affected plugin's administrative functionality becomes susceptible to manipulation, as the system does not properly validate whether requests are initiated from the legitimate application interface or from malicious third-party websites. This creates a significant risk for WordPress administrators and users who rely on the Smartsupp plugin for live chat and lead generation services. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data manipulation as it can potentially lead to complete administrative takeover of affected WordPress installations. Attackers could leverage this weakness to modify plugin settings, inject malicious content, or perform actions that compromise the integrity and availability of the web application. The issue aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 which involves credential manipulation through CSRF attacks, potentially allowing adversaries to maintain persistence within compromised environments. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or compromised websites. Security researchers have identified that the plugin's lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms creates an attack surface where malicious actors can craft requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions. This flaw particularly affects the plugin's chatbot configuration, live chat settings, and lead generation features, which are commonly accessed through administrative interfaces. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the plugin's architecture that requires immediate attention from both developers and users. Organizations relying on Smartsupp for customer engagement and lead capture services face significant risk of unauthorized access to their chat data and lead generation configurations. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it can be executed through simple web-based attacks without requiring sophisticated exploitation techniques or privileged access. The vulnerability's remediation requires implementation of proper CSRF token validation and request origin verification mechanisms that align with industry best practices for web application security. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of validating request authenticity in all web applications, particularly those handling sensitive user data or administrative functions. The issue highlights the need for regular security auditing of third-party plugins and the implementation of proper input validation controls. Organizations should immediately update to version 3.7 or later of the Smartsupp plugin to mitigate this vulnerability. The attack surface for this vulnerability is broad, affecting not only the core plugin functionality but potentially other WordPress components that rely on the plugin's administrative interfaces. Security teams should implement monitoring for unauthorized administrative actions and consider implementing additional security layers such as two-factor authentication to protect against potential exploitation. The vulnerability's classification as a CSRF issue places it within the scope of OWASP Top Ten Project's A01:2021 - Broken Access Control, emphasizing the critical nature of access control validation in web applications. This flaw represents a significant concern for organizations that depend on real-time chat and lead generation services, as unauthorized access could result in data breaches, service disruption, or reputational damage. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in environments where the Smartsupp plugin is used for customer service automation, as attackers could potentially manipulate chatbot responses or access sensitive conversation data. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader assessment of WordPress security practices and ensure that all administrative interfaces implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms. The remediation process requires careful attention to maintain plugin functionality while implementing robust security controls that prevent unauthorized requests from being processed as legitimate administrative actions.