CVE-2014-10395 in cp-polls Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The cp-polls plugin before 1.0.1 for WordPress has XSS in the votes list.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2023
The CVE-2014-10395 vulnerability affects the cp-polls plugin version 1.0.0 and earlier for WordPress, representing a cross-site scripting flaw that specifically targets the votes list functionality. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's handling of user input data, where insufficient sanitization allows malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the votes display mechanism. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to properly escape or filter user-supplied content before rendering it in the web interface, creating an opportunity for attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious user submits poll votes containing crafted script payloads that are subsequently displayed in the votes list without proper input validation. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored XSS vulnerability where the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server and executed whenever the affected page is accessed. The vulnerability impacts the plugin's votes list display functionality, which typically shows user-submitted poll responses or votes, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise user sessions or redirect them to malicious sites.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to WordPress site administrators and users who interact with poll functionality. Attackers can leverage this flaw to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to phishing sites, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or malware distribution. The impact extends beyond individual user compromise to potentially affect entire WordPress installations where the plugin is deployed, especially in environments where multiple users interact with poll features. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices that violate fundamental web security principles and can lead to widespread compromise if exploited across multiple sites.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-10395 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 1.0.1 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Administrators should also implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms for all user-submitted data within the plugin's functionality. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent script execution, while regular security audits of installed plugins should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content, and represents a common pattern of insecure input handling that has been documented extensively in web application security frameworks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script payloads attempting to exploit similar vulnerabilities in their WordPress environments.