CVE-2024-43927 in Email Address Encoder Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/02/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Till Krüss Email Address Encoder allows Cross Site Request Forgery.This issue affects Email Address Encoder: from n/a through 1.0.23.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2025
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-43927 resides within the Email Address Encoder plugin developed by Till Krüss, specifically impacting versions ranging from the initial release through 1.0.23. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of web applications by enabling unauthorized actions to be executed on behalf of authenticated users. The issue manifests as a failure to properly validate and verify the origin of HTTP requests, creating an exploitable condition where malicious actors can craft deceptive requests that appear legitimate to the target system.
The technical flaw stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the plugin's request handling mechanisms. When users access the plugin's administrative interfaces or perform actions that modify email address configurations, the system fails to require or validate cryptographic tokens that would confirm the request originated from the legitimate user interface rather than an attacker-controlled domain. This weakness allows attackers to construct malicious web pages or send crafted requests that, when executed by authenticated users, perform unintended operations such as modifying email configurations, adding new email addresses, or altering existing settings without proper authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it creates a pathway for more severe security breaches within WordPress environments. Attackers exploiting this CSRF flaw can potentially manipulate email address encoding settings to redirect user communications, compromise email verification processes, or establish backdoors through manipulated email configurations. The vulnerability particularly affects WordPress sites that rely on the Email Address Encoder plugin for protecting email addresses from spambots, as the compromised plugin could undermine the very security it was designed to provide. This creates a dangerous paradox where the security mechanism becomes a vector for attack.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this issue under T1566.002 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to deliver malicious payloads through compromised email configurations, and T1071.001 - Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, as the exploitation occurs through HTTP requests targeting web application interfaces. Organizations running affected versions should immediately implement mitigations including plugin updates, implementation of CSRF token validation, and network-level protections to prevent unauthorized request execution.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2024-43927 requires immediate attention from system administrators, with the primary solution being the upgrade to the latest available version of the Email Address Encoder plugin where the CSRF vulnerability has been addressed. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding practices, along with the deployment of web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, provides layered defense against exploitation attempts. Regular security audits should include verification of plugin integrity and monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes that might indicate successful exploitation of this vulnerability.