CVE-2014-4845 in BannerMan
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the BannerMan plugin 0.2.4 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the bannerman_background parameter to wp-admin/options-general.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/11/2019
The CVE-2014-4845 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the BannerMan WordPress plugin version 0.2.4, demonstrating a critical weakness in input validation and output sanitization practices. This vulnerability resides in the plugin's administrative interface at wp-admin/options-general.php, where the bannerman_background parameter fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it within the web page context. The flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious scripts or HTML content that executes in the context of other users' browsers, creating a persistent security risk for WordPress installations utilizing this vulnerable plugin.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows the standard XSS attack pattern where malicious input is accepted through the bannerman_background parameter and subsequently rendered without adequate sanitization or encoding. When legitimate users access the plugin's settings page, their browsers execute the injected malicious code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative interface, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers to gain elevated privileges or compromise the entire WordPress installation. This weakness falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security concern in the CWE top 25 most dangerous software weaknesses list.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks within the WordPress environment. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit the XSS flaw to steal administrator session cookies, modify plugin configurations, or even inject additional malicious code that persists across multiple user sessions. The vulnerability's location within the wp-admin directory means that successful exploitation could potentially allow attackers to manipulate the entire WordPress configuration, affecting site availability, data integrity, and user privacy. From an attacker's perspective, this represents a low-effort, high-impact vector that can be automated and scaled across multiple WordPress installations.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that properly sanitize the bannerman_background parameter input. The fix should implement proper HTML escaping and input validation techniques to prevent malicious content from being executed within the browser context. Organizations should also implement content security policies to limit script execution capabilities and monitor for unusual administrative activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes remain essential, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a web application attack vector under the T1059.007 technique for Command and Scripting Interpreter, where malicious scripts are injected into web applications to compromise user sessions and system integrity.