CVE-2011-3862 in Morning Coffee
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Morning Coffee theme before 3.6 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the PATH_INFO to index.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2025
The CVE-2011-3862 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Morning Coffee WordPress theme version 3.5 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the theme's handling of HTTP request parameters, specifically the PATH_INFO component that gets passed to the index.php file. The flaw exists in the theme's code execution flow where user-supplied data from the PATH_INFO parameter is directly incorporated into the web page output without proper sanitization or encoding, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing script code within the PATH_INFO portion of the request. When the vulnerable WordPress installation processes this request through the Morning Coffee theme's index.php handler, the unsanitized input gets rendered directly into the HTML response. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser when they access the compromised page. The vulnerability is classified as a reflected XSS attack since the malicious script is reflected back to the user through the web application's response, making it particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to WordPress site administrators and their visitors. Attackers could leverage this flaw to steal user session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of logged-in users, redirect visitors to malicious websites, or even deface the compromised website. The vulnerability affects all users of the Morning Coffee theme version 3.5 or earlier, making it particularly concerning given that many WordPress installations may be running outdated themes. The attack vector requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a maliciously crafted URL, making it highly exploitable in phishing campaigns or automated attack scenarios.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications, and maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for initial access through malicious web content and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to Morning Coffee theme version 3.6 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Additional mitigations include implementing Content Security Policy headers, enabling proper input validation at the application level, and conducting regular security audits of installed WordPress themes and plugins. System administrators should also consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests containing known XSS patterns, while maintaining comprehensive monitoring of web application logs for suspicious activity related to PATH_INFO parameter usage.