CVE-2007-5105 in WordPress
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in wp-register.php in WordPress 2.0 and 2.0.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the user_email parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-5105 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the WordPress content management system version 2.0 and 2.0.1. This security weakness resides in the wp-register.php file which handles user registration processes, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to exploit web application vulnerabilities. The issue specifically affects the handling of the user_email parameter during the registration workflow, where inadequate input validation and output sanitization create opportunities for attackers to inject malicious scripts into the application's response.
The technical flaw manifests when the WordPress application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied email addresses before incorporating them into the HTML response generated during the registration process. This inadequate filtering allows attackers to submit specially crafted email addresses containing malicious script code that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers who view the affected registration page or related content. The vulnerability operates under the common weakness enumeration CWE-79 which categorizes improper neutralization of input during web page generation, specifically targeting the failure to properly escape or encode user-controllable data before including it in dynamically generated web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the ability to execute arbitrary web scripts in the context of authenticated users' sessions. This opens doors for session hijacking, credential theft, and the potential for more sophisticated attacks such as defacement of the WordPress installation or redirection to malicious sites. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to compromise user accounts, steal cookies, and potentially escalate privileges within the WordPress environment, particularly when users with administrative rights access pages containing the malicious content. The vulnerability affects the core registration functionality and can be exploited even when the site is configured with standard security measures, as the flaw exists in the fundamental input processing logic.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the WordPress installation to versions that address the XSS flaw in the registration process. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation measures that enforce strict email format validation and sanitize all user inputs before processing. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection layers against script execution, while proper output encoding techniques should be enforced throughout the application's codebase. Security practitioners should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious input patterns targeting known XSS vectors. This vulnerability aligns with attack techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework under the web application exploitation category, specifically targeting the execution of malicious code through input validation bypasses. The incident underscores the importance of regular security updates and the implementation of defense-in-depth strategies that protect against both known and emerging threats in web application environments.