CVE-2022-4974
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Freemius SDK allows attackers to perform Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks and access sensitive information due to missing capability checks and nonce protection. It affects hundreds of WordPress plugins and themes that use vulnerable versions of the Freemius SDK. Any WordPress site running affected plugins/themes is potentially vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress plugins and themes using Freemius SDK
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could modify WordPress database options, access debug logs containing sensitive information, and potentially escalate privileges or compromise the entire WordPress installation.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users accessing debug logs containing plugin/theme configuration data, user information, or other sensitive operational details.
If Mitigated
With proper web application firewalls and security plugins, most exploitation attempts would be blocked, limiting impact to information disclosure only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking authenticated users into visiting malicious pages, but the vulnerability itself is straightforward to exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Freemius SDK 2.4.3 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://freemius.com/blog/managing-security-issues-open-source-freemius-sdk-security-disclosure/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update all WordPress plugins and themes to latest versions. 2. Specifically ensure any plugin/theme using Freemius SDK is updated to use version 2.4.3 or higher. 3. Check with plugin/theme developers for updates if not available in WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Temporary plugin disablement
allDisable affected plugins/themes until updates are available
wp plugin deactivate [plugin-name]
wp theme deactivate [theme-name]
Web Application Firewall rules
allBlock requests to vulnerable Freemius endpoints
Add WAF rules to block: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=fs_*_get_debug_log
Add WAF rules to block: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=fs_*_get_db_option
Add WAF rules to block: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=fs_*_set_db_option
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent CSRF attacks
- Use WordPress security plugins that provide CSRF protection and capability checking
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if any installed plugins/themes use Freemius SDK version 2.4.2 or earlier. Review plugin/theme source code for 'freemius' references and version numbers.Check Version:
grep -r 'freemius' /path/to/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/ /path/to/wordpress/wp-content/themes/ | grep -i versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that all plugins/themes have been updated and confirm Freemius SDK version is 2.4.3 or higher in their source code.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual admin-ajax.php requests with fs_* actions
- Multiple failed attempts to access debug logs or database options
- Unauthorized modifications to wp_options table
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to admin-ajax.php with fs_get_debug_log, fs_get_db_option, or fs_set_db_option actions
- CSRF attack patterns targeting authenticated WordPress sessions
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (action="fs_get_debug_log" OR action="fs_get_db_option" OR action="fs_set_db_option") AND user_capability!="administrator"🔗 References
- https://freemius.com/blog/managing-security-issues-open-source-freemius-sdk-security-disclosure/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20220225174410/https%3A//www.pluginvulnerabilities.com/2022/02/25/our-security-review-of-wordpress-plugin-found-freemius-library-still-contained-vulnerabilities-3-years-after-major-security-incident/
- https://wpdirectory.net/search/01FWPVWA7BC5DYGZHNSZQ9QMN5
- https://wpdirectory.net/search/01G02RSGMFS1TPT63FS16RWEYR
- https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/6dae6dca-7474-4008-9fe5-4c62b9f12d0a
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/39fb0499-9ab4-4a2f-b0db-ece86bcf4d42?source=cve
