CVE-2007-4104 in Wordpress Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the WP-FeedStats before 2.4 plugin for WordPress allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, one of which involves an rss2 feed with an invalid or missing blog with an XSS sequence in the query string.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2017
The CVE-2007-4104 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting the WP-FeedStats plugin version 2.4 and earlier within the WordPress ecosystem. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of RSS feed data and query string parameters, creating an attack surface that allows remote adversaries to execute malicious scripts in the context of affected users' browsers.
The technical flaw manifests when the WP-FeedStats plugin processes RSS feeds without proper input sanitization or output encoding. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious RSS feed with an invalid or missing blog reference containing XSS sequences within the query string parameters. The vulnerability exploits the plugin's failure to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web page responses. This weakness is particularly dangerous because it leverages the plugin's legitimate RSS feed processing functionality to deliver malicious payloads, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, deface websites, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious domains. When a user visits a compromised WordPress site that utilizes the vulnerable WP-FeedStats plugin, their browser executes the injected malicious code, potentially compromising their session cookies or other sensitive data. The vulnerability's exploitation vector through RSS feeds makes it particularly insidious as it can be triggered by simply accessing a compromised feed, even if the user is not directly interacting with the vulnerable plugin interface. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments, where the malicious payload is embedded within legitimate-looking feed data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-4104 require immediate plugin updates to version 2.4 or later, which contain the necessary security patches addressing the XSS vulnerabilities. System administrators should also implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout their WordPress installations, particularly around RSS feed processing and query string handling. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures by monitoring for suspicious patterns in feed data and query parameters. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other plugins and themes. The remediation process must also include thorough testing of updated plugins to ensure compatibility and prevent regression issues in the WordPress environment. Organizations should establish secure coding practices that emphasize proper sanitization of all user inputs and implement Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution scope of injected scripts.