CVE-2021-42364
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Stetic WordPress plugin allows attackers to perform Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks due to missing nonce validation. Attackers can inject arbitrary web scripts when users with administrative privileges visit specially crafted pages. WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of the Stetic plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Stetic WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Stetic by Stetic
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could inject malicious scripts that compromise the entire WordPress site, steal administrator credentials, deface the website, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers trick administrators into executing actions that inject malicious JavaScript, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized content changes.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and input validation, the attack would fail, preventing script injection and maintaining site integrity.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link or visiting a compromised page. The vulnerability is well-documented in security advisories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 1.0.7 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/stetic/trunk/stetic.php#L129
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Stetic plugin and update to version 1.0.7 or later. 4. If update not available, deactivate and delete the plugin.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Stetic Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate stetic
Implement CSRF Protection
allAdd nonce validation manually to the stats_page function in stetic.php
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks only
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block CSRF attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for Stetic version 1.0.6 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get stetic --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Stetic plugin version is 1.0.7 or later in WordPress admin📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin.php?page=stetic-stats
- Multiple failed nonce validation attempts
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious outbound connections from WordPress site after admin visits
- Unexpected JavaScript injections in page responses
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("stetic" OR "admin.php?page=stetic-stats") AND status=200