CVE-2023-32512

ShortPixel Adaptive Images <= 3.7.1 - Cross-Site Request Forgery via shortpixel_ai_handle_page_action

2023-05-08 00:00
konagash

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.7.2
Affected Plugin
ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization
Affected Version
< 3.7.2
CVSS
5.4Medium
Weakness type
CWE-352 · Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
CVE
CVE-2023-32512
View all ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-32512 is a medium-severity Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the ShortPixel Adaptive Images WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 3.7.2. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 3.7.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2023, reported by konagash.

Vulnerability Overview

The ShortPixel Adaptive Images plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in versions up to, and including, 3.7.1. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the 'shortpixel_ai_handle_page_action' ajax action. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to modify plugin settings via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.

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.

CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

ShortPixel Adaptive Images < 3.7.2 carries this weakness at shortpixel_ai_handle_page_action, and reaching it takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Cross-site request forgery abuses the fact that browsers attach a victim's cookies to any request, so a state-changing action that only checks who you are, not whether you meant to act, can be triggered from another site.

An attacker who gets a logged-in user to load a crafted page can perform that action as them, with the impact scaling to whatever the victim's role is allowed to do. For ShortPixel Adaptive Images the fix is 3.7.2: builds < 3.7.2 are affected, anything from 3.7.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.7.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to ShortPixel Adaptive Images: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: ShortPixel Adaptive Images 3.7.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-32512https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/94ed918c-8f6f-4e1f-ab1d-e16632831951https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-32512

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C