CVE-2015-3998 in phpwhois
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in phpwhois 4.2.5, as used in the adsense-click-fraud-monitoring plugin 1.7.5 for WordPress, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the query parameter to whois.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3998 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the phpwhois 4.2.5 library when integrated into the adsense-click-fraud-monitoring WordPress plugin version 1.7.5. This vulnerability resides in the handling of user-supplied input within the whois.php script, specifically targeting the query parameter that processes domain name lookups. The flaw enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially compromising user security and data integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the phpwhois library. When the adsense-click-fraud-monitoring plugin processes a WHOIS query, it fails to properly escape or filter user-provided domain names before incorporating them into dynamic web content. This absence of proper sanitization creates an opening for attackers to inject malicious payloads that execute in the browser context of legitimate users. The vulnerability manifests when the query parameter contains specially crafted input that bypasses the expected domain name format, allowing attackers to inject HTML tags or JavaScript code that gets rendered on the page.
From an operational perspective, this XSS vulnerability poses significant risks to WordPress installations utilizing the affected plugin. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform session hijacking, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject phishing content that appears legitimate to users. The impact extends beyond simple data theft, as the vulnerability can be exploited to create persistent backdoors or to manipulate the plugin's functionality for broader attacks. The compromised environment typically affects only authenticated users who interact with the plugin's WHOIS lookup feature, but the potential for privilege escalation and data exfiltration remains high.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which involves the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities through malicious input injection. Organizations should consider implementing comprehensive input validation mechanisms, output encoding, and proper parameter sanitization to address this class of vulnerability. The recommended mitigation includes immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 1.7.6 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Additionally, administrators should implement web application firewalls, employ Content Security Policy headers, and conduct regular security audits of third-party plugins to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.