CVE-2015-2040 in Contact Form DB
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Contact Form DB (aka CFDB and contact-form-7-to-database-extension) plugin 2.8.26 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the submit_time parameter in the CF7DBPluginSubmissions page to wp-admin/admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2040 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Contact Form DB plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting version 2.8.26. This plugin serves as an extension for Contact Form 7, enabling users to store form submissions in a database and providing administrative interfaces for data management. The vulnerability resides in the CF7DBPluginSubmissions page located within the wp-admin/admin.php administrative interface, making it accessible to authenticated users with sufficient privileges to view form submissions. The flaw manifests when the plugin fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input from the submit_time parameter, which is used to filter and display form submission timestamps in the administrative dashboard.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the submit_time parameter within the administrative URL structure. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content directly into the plugin's administrative interface, which then executes in the context of other administrators or users who view the submissions page. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, specifically categorized as a reflected XSS attack since the malicious payload is reflected back to the user through the plugin's output mechanism. The attack vector requires minimal privileges, as the vulnerability exists within the administrative interface where legitimate users already possess elevated permissions, making it particularly dangerous for organizations where administrators frequently interact with the plugin's submission data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions within the WordPress administrative interface, or redirect users to malicious websites. Since the plugin is designed to store and display sensitive form data including personal information, financial details, and other confidential submissions, successful exploitation could lead to data breaches and privacy violations. The vulnerability affects WordPress installations where the Contact Form DB plugin is actively used, potentially compromising thousands of websites that rely on this extension for form management. The reflected nature of the XSS attack means that the malicious payload is immediately executed when administrators view the affected page, making detection and mitigation more challenging as the attack occurs during normal administrative operations rather than through external network traffic analysis.
Organizations should immediately update to patched versions of the Contact Form DB plugin or implement temporary mitigations such as restricting administrative access to the plugin interface, implementing content security policies, and monitoring administrative sessions for suspicious activity. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and output escaping in web applications, particularly within administrative interfaces where privileged users interact with potentially untrusted data. Security professionals should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads targeting this specific parameter. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, as attackers can leverage the XSS to execute JavaScript code within the victim's browser context, and represents a common weakness in web application security that requires continuous monitoring and patch management processes. The incident underscores the critical need for regular security audits of WordPress plugins, especially those handling sensitive data, and highlights the importance of maintaining updated security practices to protect against persistent threats in the WordPress ecosystem.