CVE-2022-0141
📋 TL;DR
This CSRF vulnerability in the Visual Form Builder WordPress plugin allows attackers to trick logged-in administrators or editors into performing unauthorized actions. Attackers can make authenticated users delete or restore arbitrary form entries without their knowledge. Only WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this specific plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Visual Form Builder WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could delete all form submission data, potentially causing data loss and disrupting business operations that rely on form submissions.
Likely Case
Attackers delete selective form entries to cause confusion, data loss, or disrupt specific processes that depend on form data.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and user awareness, the risk is minimal as it requires social engineering to trick authenticated users.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to trick authenticated users into clicking malicious links. The vulnerability is well-documented in security advisories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.0.8
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/2adc8390-bb19-4adf-9805-e9c462d14d22
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Visual Form Builder. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 3.0.8+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Temporary Plugin Deactivation
allDisable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate visual-form-builder
CSRF Protection via .htaccess
linuxAdd basic CSRF protection headers at web server level
Header set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
Header set Content-Security-Policy "frame-ancestors 'self'"
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls: Limit admin/editor accounts and use principle of least privilege
- Educate users about phishing risks and implement mandatory security awareness training
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Visual Form Builder → Version. If version is below 3.0.8, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get visual-form-builder --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify version shows 3.0.8 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual form entry deletions from admin/editor accounts
- Multiple DELETE requests to form endpoints from same session
Network Indicators:
- POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=delete_entry or action=restore_entry without proper referrer headers
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (action="delete_entry" OR action="restore_entry") AND NOT referrer CONTAINS "wp-admin"