CVE-2022-41650: Custom Content by Country Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2022-41650 Overview

A Missing Authorization vulnerability has been identified in the Custom Content by Country plugin (by Shield Security) for WordPress. This security flaw, classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), allows attackers to bypass access control mechanisms due to improper authorization checks within the plugin functionality.

Critical Impact

Unauthorized users can potentially bypass access controls, leading to integrity and availability impacts on affected WordPress installations.

Affected Products

• Custom Content by Country (by Shield Security) versions through 3.1.2
• WordPress installations using the custom-content-by-country plugin

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-17 - CVE CVE-2022-41650 published to NVD
• 2026-02-18 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-41650

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from a Broken Access Control weakness in the Custom Content by Country WordPress plugin. The plugin fails to properly verify user authorization before allowing access to certain functionality. When authorization checks are missing, unauthenticated or low-privileged users may be able to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators or other privileged roles.

The network-based attack vector means exploitation can occur remotely without requiring local access to the target system. No user interaction is needed for exploitation, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for unattended WordPress installations.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2022-41650 is missing authorization checks (CWE-862) within the plugin's codebase. WordPress plugins typically need to implement capability checks using functions like current_user_can() to verify that the requesting user has appropriate permissions before executing privileged operations. When these checks are absent or improperly implemented, the access control model breaks down.

Attack Vector

The attack can be executed remotely over the network. An attacker does not need authentication credentials or any special privileges to exploit this vulnerability. The attack complexity is low, meaning no specialized conditions or extensive preparation is required.

Exploitation could allow an attacker to modify plugin settings or content that should be restricted to administrators, potentially affecting the integrity of the WordPress site. Additionally, the vulnerability may enable denial of service conditions by manipulating plugin functionality in unintended ways.

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-41650

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to geolocation-based content settings without administrator action
• Unusual HTTP requests targeting Custom Content by Country plugin endpoints from unauthenticated users
• Access logs showing repeated requests to plugin AJAX handlers or settings pages from unknown sources
• Modifications to plugin database entries without corresponding administrator sessions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress access logs for unauthorized requests to /wp-admin/ endpoints related to the Custom Content by Country plugin
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting WordPress plugin functionality
• Review audit logs for changes to plugin settings that were not initiated by authorized administrators
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity to detect anomalous behavior patterns associated with WordPress exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging for WordPress admin actions and plugin configuration changes
• Configure alerting for failed authorization attempts or access to restricted plugin functionality
• Implement real-time monitoring of WordPress file integrity to detect unauthorized modifications
• Use SentinelOne's behavioral AI to identify exploitation attempts targeting WordPress plugins

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-41650

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Custom Content by Country plugin to the latest available version beyond 3.1.2
• Review WordPress user accounts and remove any unauthorized accounts that may have been created
• Audit plugin settings to ensure no unauthorized changes have been made
• Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if an update is not immediately available

Patch Information

Organizations should check for updates to the Custom Content by Country plugin through the WordPress plugin repository or contact Shield Security directly for patching guidance. The vulnerability affects all versions through 3.1.2, so any version newer than this should contain the necessary authorization fixes.

For more information, consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to the WordPress admin area using IP whitelisting at the web server level
• Implement additional authentication layers such as two-factor authentication for WordPress administrators
• Use a Web Application Firewall to filter malicious requests targeting WordPress plugins
• Consider using WordPress security plugins that add capability checks and access control hardening

# Example: Restrict WordPress admin access by IP in Apache .htaccess
<Files wp-login.php>
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
</Files>

# Example: Block direct access to plugin files in nginx
location ~* /wp-content/plugins/custom-content-by-country/ {
    deny all;
    allow 127.0.0.1;
}