CVE-2022-25602
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Responsive Menu WordPress plugin allows attackers to leak nonce tokens, which can then be used to perform unauthorized actions like arbitrary file uploads, theme deletion, and plugin settings changes. It affects WordPress sites running Responsive Menu plugin versions 4.1.7 and earlier. Attackers can exploit this without authentication to compromise site integrity and potentially gain further access.
💻 Affected Systems
- Responsive Menu WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Responsive Menu by Expresstech
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site takeover through arbitrary file upload leading to remote code execution, theme deletion causing site disruption, and plugin settings manipulation enabling persistent backdoors.
Likely Case
Unauthorized file uploads leading to malware injection, defacement, or data theft, with potential for privilege escalation within the WordPress environment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper file upload restrictions, web application firewalls, and nonce validation are in place, though some unauthorized actions may still occur.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires obtaining leaked nonce tokens, which can be done via crafted requests. Public proof-of-concept code exists, making weaponization probable.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.1.8
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/responsive-menu/#developers
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Responsive Menu' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 4.1.8 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the Responsive Menu plugin to prevent exploitation.
wp plugin deactivate responsive-menu
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock requests targeting vulnerable plugin endpoints.
Add WAF rule to block requests to /wp-content/plugins/responsive-menu/ with suspicious parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file upload restrictions and disable unnecessary upload functionality.
- Use security plugins to monitor and block unauthorized actions, and regularly audit site logs for suspicious activity.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel under Plugins > Installed Plugins for Responsive Menu version <= 4.1.7.Check Version:
wp plugin get responsive-menu --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Responsive Menu plugin version is 4.1.8 or higher in the WordPress admin plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file uploads to /wp-content/uploads/, unexpected theme or plugin deletion logs, failed nonce validation errors in WordPress debug logs.
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to /wp-content/plugins/responsive-menu/ with nonce parameters, POST requests for file uploads or admin actions from unauthenticated IPs.
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("responsive-menu" OR "nonce") AND ("upload" OR "delete" OR "admin")🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/responsive-menu/wordpress-responsive-menu-plugin-4-1-7-nonce-token-leak-leading-to-arbitrary-file-upload-theme-deletion-plugin-settings-change-vulnerability
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/responsive-menu/#developers
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/responsive-menu/wordpress-responsive-menu-plugin-4-1-7-nonce-token-leak-leading-to-arbitrary-file-upload-theme-deletion-plugin-settings-change-vulnerability
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/responsive-menu/#developers
