CVE-2022-40700

CSSTidy - Server-Side Request Forgery

2023-03-03 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.7
Affected Plugin: Admin CSS MU
Affected Version: <= 2.6
CVSS: 8.3High
Weakness type: CWE-918 · Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
CVE: CVE-2022-40700

At a glance

CVE-2022-40700 is a high-severity Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the Admin CSS MU WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.6. It carries a CVSS score of 8.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2023, reported by Dave Jong.

Vulnerability Overview

The module cerdic/csstidy, which is used in several plugins, is vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery due to the inclusion of test code that does not verify a user-provided URL. This can allow unauthenticated attackers to to make web requests to arbitrary locations originating from the web application which can be used to query and modify information from internal services.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

Reaching this weakness in Admin CSS MU <= 2.6 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Server-side request forgery means the application fetches a URL supplied by the caller, turning the server into a proxy for requests the attacker could not make directly.

The request originates from inside the hosting network, which is how these flaws reach cloud metadata endpoints, internal admin panels and services that trust local traffic. For Admin CSS MU the fix is 2.7: builds <= 2.6 are affected, anything from 2.7 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.7, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Admin CSS MU: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Admin CSS MU 2.7 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40700 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/fb534d86-c477-4a9c-b048-2fbc002168b2 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-40700

CVSS Vector

8.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityLow

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