CVE-2011-4624 in GRAND FlAGallery
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in facebook.php in the GRAND FlAGallery plugin (flash-album-gallery) before 1.57 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the i parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2022
The CVE-2011-4624 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the GRAND FlAGallery plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting versions prior to 1.57. This vulnerability resides in the facebook.php file and demonstrates a classic input validation failure that enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML content within the context of affected websites. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it affects one of the most widely used content management systems globally, potentially compromising millions of WordPress installations that utilized this plugin.
The technical flaw manifests through improper sanitization of the 'i' parameter, which is processed without adequate validation or encoding mechanisms. When users interact with the plugin's facebook.php endpoint and provide malicious input through this parameter, the system fails to properly escape or validate the data before incorporating it into web responses. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of unsuspecting users who visit affected pages. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, specifically manifesting as a reflected cross-site scripting attack where the malicious payload is reflected back to users through the application's response.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, manipulate website content, or redirect users to malicious sites. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create persistent XSS attacks that may compromise user credentials, personal data, or even gain administrative privileges if users with elevated permissions interact with the malicious content. The attack surface is particularly broad given that GRAND FlAGallery was widely deployed across WordPress installations, making this vulnerability a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns that could systematically compromise numerous websites within a short timeframe.
Organizations and administrators should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to GRAND FlAGallery version 1.57 or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization measures. Additional mitigations include implementing robust content security policies, deploying web application firewalls, and conducting regular security audits of installed plugins. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content and T1546.008 for persistence through browser-based attacks. Security practitioners should also consider implementing proper input validation frameworks and regular security testing procedures to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other custom plugin developments, as this issue highlights the critical importance of sanitizing all user-provided inputs in web applications to prevent XSS attacks.