CVE-2020-36741 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

CVE-2020-36741, assigned by Wordfence, pertains to a Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability in the MultiVendorX plugin for WordPress.

Understanding CVE-2020-36741

What is CVE-2020-36741?

The CVE-2020-36741 vulnerability involves missing or incorrect nonce validation in the submit_comment() function of the MultiVendorX plugin, allowing unauthenticated attackers to submit comments through a forged request.

The Impact of CVE-2020-36741

This vulnerability could be exploited by attackers to manipulate site content by submitting comments without proper authentication.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-36741

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in the MultiVendorX plugin for WordPress allows unauthenticated attackers to submit comments via forged requests due to inadequate nonce validation.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: wcmp
Product: MultiVendorX – MultiVendor Marketplace Solution For WooCommerce
Versions affected: Up to and including 3.5.7
Versions less than 3.5.8 are vulnerable

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by tricking site administrators into performing actions like clicking on malicious links, enabling them to submit comments without proper authentication.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update the MultiVendorX plugin to version 3.5.8 or higher to mitigate the vulnerability.
Be cautious when clicking on links or performing actions on websites to prevent CSRF attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update plugins and themes to patch security vulnerabilities.
Implement strong authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all plugins, including MultiVendorX, are regularly updated to the latest versions to address security flaws.