CVE-2014-4724 in Custom Banners
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Custom Banners plugin 1.2.2.2 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the custom_banners_registered_name parameter to wp-admin/options.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2022
The CVE-2014-4724 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Custom Banners WordPress plugin version 1.2.2.2, specifically targeting the plugin's administrative interface. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The vulnerability exists in the way the plugin processes user input within the wp-admin/options.php endpoint, where the custom_banners_registered_name parameter is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that get executed in the context of other users' browsers when they visit the affected administrative pages.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the custom_banners_registered_name parameter, which is typically used to store banner registration information within the WordPress admin interface. When an attacker submits malicious script code through this parameter, the plugin fails to implement proper input validation or output encoding mechanisms. This allows the injected code to be stored in the application's configuration and subsequently executed whenever administrators or other users access the options page. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the administrative interface, meaning that successful exploitation could lead to full administrative compromise of the WordPress site.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the compromised WordPress environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal administrator session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, inject malicious advertisements, or even modify plugin settings to maintain persistent access. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1566 (Phishing) techniques, as it can be used to deliver malicious payloads that exploit the trust relationship between administrators and the WordPress interface. The vulnerability also aligns with T1071.001 (Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols) as it exploits HTTP-based communication patterns within the web application.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-4724 should include immediate patching of the Custom Banners plugin to version 1.2.2.3 or later, which contains the necessary input sanitization fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms that filter and encode all user-supplied data before processing, particularly for parameters that are rendered within administrative interfaces. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by ensuring that only necessary users have access to the affected administrative endpoints. Additionally, web application firewalls and security monitoring systems should be configured to detect and block suspicious parameter values that contain common XSS payload patterns. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across the entire web application ecosystem. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding practices as outlined in OWASP Top 10 2021 category A03: Injection, emphasizing that proper sanitization of all user inputs is essential for preventing XSS attacks.