CVE-2012-4273 in 2-click-social-media-buttons
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in libs/xing.php in the 2 Click Social Media Buttons plugin before 0.34 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the xing-url parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2017
The CVE-2012-4273 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the 2 Click Social Media Buttons WordPress plugin, specifically affecting versions prior to 0.34. This vulnerability exists in the libs/xing.php file and creates a significant security risk for WordPress sites that utilize this plugin. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content through the xing-url parameter, potentially compromising the integrity of user sessions and enabling unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's handling of the xing-url parameter. When the plugin processes user-supplied data through this parameter without proper sanitization, it fails to escape or filter malicious content that could contain script tags, event handlers, or other XSS payload constructs. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a result of insufficient input validation and output encoding. The vulnerability exists at the application layer where user input is directly incorporated into dynamically generated web pages without appropriate security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker could craft a malicious URL containing XSS payloads that, when clicked by a victim, would execute unauthorized actions within the victim's browser context. This could result in unauthorized access to sensitive user data, modification of content, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where administrators or trusted users might inadvertently click on compromised links, as it could lead to complete compromise of the affected WordPress installation and potential lateral movement within network environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-4273 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 0.34 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the input validation issues. Additionally, administrators should implement proper output encoding for all user-supplied content and consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.002 for command and scripting interpreter. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious script injection patterns and regular security audits of third-party plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities that could compromise the overall security posture of WordPress installations.