CVE-2014-4527 in Email Marketing Y Newsletters
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in paginas/vista-previa-form.php in the EnvialoSimple: Email Marketing and Newsletters (envialosimple-email-marketing-y-newsletters-gratis) plugin before 1.98 for WordPress allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) FormID or (2) AdministratorID parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2018
The CVE-2014-4527 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the EnvialoSimple WordPress plugin, specifically within the paginas/vista-previa-form.php file. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.98 and exposes WordPress installations to significant security risks through improper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The flaw manifests when the plugin fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied parameters before incorporating them into dynamically generated web content, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of authenticated user sessions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through two primary attack vectors involving the FormID and AdministratorID parameters. These parameters are directly incorporated into the plugin's preview functionality without proper sanitization or encoding, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content. When a victim visits the affected preview page, the malicious code executes in their browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the WordPress installation. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates how insufficient input validation can create persistent security weaknesses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains targeting WordPress administrators and users. Attackers can leverage these XSS vulnerabilities to steal administrator credentials, modify plugin configurations, or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability particularly affects email marketing campaigns and newsletter management functionality, making it attractive to threat actors seeking to compromise marketing automation systems. According to ATT&CK framework category TA0001, this vulnerability enables initial access and privilege escalation through the exploitation of web application flaws, while also supporting TA0002 for execution of malicious code within user contexts.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to protect their WordPress installations. The primary remediation involves upgrading to the patched version 1.98 or later of the EnvialoSimple plugin, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should implement content security policies to limit script execution, deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests, and conduct regular security audits of installed plugins. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual traffic patterns associated with XSS exploitation attempts, while user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding suspicious links and maintaining updated software versions. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding practices in web application security, as outlined in OWASP Top Ten categories and industry security best practices for preventing XSS attacks.