CVE-2022-33198
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to modify WordPress options through the Accordions plugin. Any WordPress site running the affected plugin versions is vulnerable to unauthorized configuration changes.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Accordions plugin by Biplob Adhikari
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could modify critical WordPress settings, enable user registration, change site URLs, or inject malicious code leading to complete site compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers will modify WordPress options to redirect visitors, inject ads/malware, or enable backdoor access to the site.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and WAF rules, impact is limited to the specific WordPress instance.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP POST requests can trigger the vulnerability without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.0.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/accordions-or-faqs/#developers
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Accordions' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 2.0.3+ from WordPress.org and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the Accordions plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate accordions-or-faqs
Web Application Firewall rule
allBlock requests to vulnerable plugin endpoints
Block POST requests to /wp-content/plugins/accordions-or-faqs/*
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the plugin entirely from the WordPress installation
- Implement strict network access controls to limit exposure
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Accordions plugin version. If version is 2.0.2 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get accordions-or-faqs --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 2.0.3 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-content/plugins/accordions-or-faqs/
- WordPress option changes from unauthenticated IPs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to plugin endpoints without authentication
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-content/plugins/accordions-or-faqs/" AND http_method="POST")🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/accordions-or-faqs/wordpress-accordions-plugin-2-0-2-unauthenticated-wordpress-options-change-vulnerability
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/accordions-or-faqs/#developers
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/accordions-or-faqs/wordpress-accordions-plugin-2-0-2-unauthenticated-wordpress-options-change-vulnerability
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/accordions-or-faqs/#developers
