CVE-2023-23790
📋 TL;DR
This CSRF vulnerability in the Pods WordPress plugin allows attackers to trick authenticated administrators into performing unintended actions. It affects WordPress sites using Pods plugin version 2.9.10.2 or earlier. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized content modification or plugin settings changes.
💻 Affected Systems
- Pods - Custom Content Types and Fields WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Pods by Podsfoundation
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could modify critical WordPress content, change plugin settings, or create/delete custom content types without authorization, potentially compromising site integrity.
Likely Case
Attackers trick administrators into performing actions like modifying posts, changing settings, or creating unwanted content types through crafted requests.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and user awareness, the risk is limited to unsuccessful exploitation attempts with no impact.
🎯 Exploit Status
CSRF attacks typically require social engineering to trick authenticated users but are technically simple to execute.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.9.11 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Pods plugin and click 'Update Now'. 4. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress.org and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Protection
allAdd custom CSRF tokens to forms and validate them server-side
Restrict Admin Access
allLimit administrator accounts and implement strict access controls
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block CSRF attempts
- Educate administrators about CSRF risks and safe browsing practices
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Pods version. If version is 2.9.10.2 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=pods --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify Pods plugin version shows 2.9.11 or higher in WordPress admin.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected POST requests to Pods admin endpoints
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations
Network Indicators:
- Cross-origin requests to Pods admin endpoints
- Suspicious referer headers in requests
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" OR uri CONTAINS "pods") AND method="POST" AND referer NOT CONTAINS hostname🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/pods/wordpress-pods-custom-content-types-and-fields-plugin-2-9-10-2-cross-site-request-forgery-csrf-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/pods/wordpress-pods-custom-content-types-and-fields-plugin-2-9-10-2-cross-site-request-forgery-csrf-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
