CVE-2026-113485 in Media Library Assistant Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2026
The Media Library Assistant WordPress plugin before 3.42 does not consistently validate its CSRF nonce on the Media Library bulk-action handler, checking the nonce only when its field is present, so a forged request that omits the field can cause a logged-in user with the Author role or above to trash or delete attachments.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2026
The vulnerability identified in versions of the Media Library Assistant WordPress plugin prior to 3.42 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms, specifically concerning Cross-Site Request Forgery protections. This flaw stems from an inconsistent implementation of CSRF nonce validation within the bulk-action handler responsible for managing media library items. In secure web application design, state-changing operations such as deleting or trashing files must be protected by tokens that are unique to the user session and verified on every request. However, in this specific instance, the plugin's code logic only checks for the presence of a CSRF nonce field rather than validating its authenticity when the field is absent from the incoming HTTP request. This logical gap allows an attacker to craft forged requests that deliberately omit the nonce parameter entirely, thereby bypassing the security check and executing unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
From a technical perspective, this issue classifies as CWE-352, which denotes Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF). The root cause lies in the server-side validation logic failing to enforce mandatory token verification for all state-modifying endpoints. By treating the absence of the nonce field differently from an invalid or missing expected parameter, the application inadvertently permits requests that do not carry any CSRF protection data. This is a common misconfiguration where developers assume that if no token is sent, it should be ignored rather than rejected as unauthenticated. For this vulnerability to be exploited successfully, the target must have a valid session with WordPress and possess at least Author-level privileges or higher. The attacker typically needs to lure such a user into visiting a malicious page containing an automated request targeting the plugin's bulk-action endpoint, which will then execute the deletion without any further interaction from the victim.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for websites relying on Media Library Assistant for content management. An successful exploitation allows an adversary to trash or permanently delete attachments stored within the WordPress media library. This can lead to data loss if backups are not readily available, disruption of website functionality that depends on specific images or documents, and potential defacement if critical visual assets are removed. Furthermore, because this action requires authentication, it highlights a privilege escalation vector where lower-privileged users like Authors could be tricked into performing administrative-level deletions without their knowledge. This undermines the integrity of the content management system and can cause substantial reputational damage to site owners who rely on consistent media availability for user engagement and SEO performance.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term security posture improvements. The primary solution is to upgrade the Media Library Assistant plugin to version 3.42 or later, where this validation logic has been corrected to ensure that all bulk-action requests are strictly validated against a valid CSRF token regardless of whether the field was explicitly included in the request payload. In addition to updating software, administrators should enforce strict Content Security Policy headers and utilize browser-based protections like SameSite cookie attributes to reduce the risk of session hijacking and forged requests. Regular security audits focusing on input validation and state change operations are recommended to identify similar logical flaws across other plugins or custom code within the WordPress environment. Adhering to OWASP guidelines for CSRF prevention, which mandate that all sensitive actions require valid tokens verified server-side, will help prevent recurrence of such vulnerabilities in future development cycles.