CVE-2022-45809 is a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability identified in the Ricard Torres Thumbs Rating plugin, affecting versions up to 5.0.0. A TOCTOU race condition occurs when a system checks a condition (time-of-check) and then uses the result of that check later (time-of-use), during which the state of the system can change, potentially allowing an attacker to exploit the timing gap. In this case, the vulnerability resides in the Thumbs Rating plugin, which is commonly used to collect and display user feedback or ratings on websites. The flaw allows an attacker to manipulate the timing between the check and the use of a resource or permission, potentially leading to unauthorized modification of rating data or other integrity violations. According to the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N), the vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without any privileges or user interaction, and it impacts the integrity of the system without affecting confidentiality or availability. The medium severity score of 5.3 reflects a moderate risk where attackers can alter data but cannot gain full control or cause denial of service. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that remediation may still be pending or in progress. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-367, which specifically addresses TOCTOU race conditions, a class of bugs that are challenging to detect and fix due to their timing-dependent nature.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the extent to which they use the Ricard Torres Thumbs Rating plugin on their websites or web applications. If exploited, attackers could manipulate rating data, potentially undermining the integrity of user feedback systems, which can affect reputation, customer trust, and decision-making processes based on user ratings. While this does not directly compromise sensitive personal data or availability, the integrity breach could be leveraged in social engineering or misinformation campaigns, especially for e-commerce, media, or service platforms relying on user ratings. Additionally, if the plugin is integrated into larger systems, this vulnerability could serve as a foothold for further attacks. The fact that exploitation requires no privileges or user interaction increases the risk profile, as automated attacks could be launched remotely. European organizations must consider compliance with data integrity and consumer protection regulations, such as GDPR principles related to data accuracy and integrity, which could be indirectly impacted by manipulated rating data.

Given the absence of an official patch link, European organizations should first verify if updates or patches have been released by the vendor or community since the publication date. Immediate mitigation steps include: 1) Conducting an inventory to identify all instances of the Ricard Torres Thumbs Rating plugin in use across organizational web assets. 2) Temporarily disabling or removing the plugin where feasible until a patch is available. 3) Implementing additional server-side validation and synchronization mechanisms to prevent race conditions, such as atomic operations or locking mechanisms around rating submissions. 4) Monitoring web server logs and application behavior for unusual or rapid rating changes that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Employing web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the plugin endpoints. 6) Engaging with the vendor or open-source community to track patch releases and advisories. 7) Educating development teams about TOCTOU vulnerabilities to improve secure coding practices in future plugin or application development.