CVE-2014-9311 in Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in admin.php in the Shareaholic plugin before 7.6.1.0 for WordPress allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the location[id] parameter in a shareaholic_add_location action to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2024
The CVE-2014-9311 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Shareaholic WordPress plugin ecosystem, specifically affecting versions prior to 7.6.1.0. This vulnerability resides in the administrative interface component of the plugin, where the admin.php file fails to properly sanitize user input before processing it within the shareaholic_add_location action. The flaw manifests when authenticated users with appropriate privileges interact with the WordPress admin-ajax.php endpoint, which serves as the primary communication channel for asynchronous requests between the frontend and backend of WordPress installations. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway directly targets the location[id] parameter, which becomes the vector for malicious script injection.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the Shareaholic plugin's administrative code. When an authenticated user submits data through the shareaholic_add_location action, the plugin processes the location[id] parameter without adequate filtering or encoding of potentially malicious content. This failure creates a persistent vulnerability that allows attackers to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code into the administrative interface. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authentication privileges, meaning that any user with access to the WordPress admin panel can potentially exploit this flaw, regardless of their specific role permissions. The attack vector leverages the legitimate WordPress AJAX handling mechanism, making it difficult to distinguish between benign and malicious requests at the network level.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, steal session cookies, or manipulate administrative functions within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive administrative data and potentially compromise the entire WordPress installation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious scripts that could redirect users to phishing sites, steal administrator credentials, or even modify plugin configurations to maintain persistent access. The administrative context of the vulnerability means that successful exploitation could allow attackers to manipulate the Shareaholic plugin's configuration, potentially affecting social sharing functionality across the entire website. This creates a significant risk for website owners who rely on the plugin for social media integration and user engagement features.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9311 primarily focus on immediate patching and input validation improvements. The most effective solution involves upgrading to Shareaholic plugin version 7.6.1.0 or later, which implements proper input sanitization and output encoding for the affected parameter. Organizations should also implement comprehensive monitoring of administrative AJAX endpoints to detect anomalous requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security measures including Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide additional protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed within the administrative interface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting languages and T1547.001 for privilege escalation through administrative interfaces. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes remain essential for identifying similar vulnerabilities that could compromise the integrity of web applications and their associated user data.