CVE-2015-9229 in NextGEN Gallery
Summary
by MITRE
In the nggallery-manage-gallery page in the Photocrati NextGEN Gallery plugin 2.1.15 for WordPress, XSS is possible for remote authenticated administrators via the images[1][alttext] parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-9229 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Photocrati NextGEN Gallery plugin version 2.1.15 for WordPress. This security weakness specifically affects the nggallery-manage-gallery page and targets authenticated administrators who possess sufficient privileges to manipulate gallery content. The vulnerability arises from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the plugin's handling of user-supplied data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the images[1][alttext] parameter which is processed within the gallery management interface. When an authenticated administrator navigates to the nggallery-manage-gallery page and interacts with the alttext field, the plugin fails to properly sanitize or encode the input data before rendering it in the web page context. This allows a malicious actor with administrator privileges to inject malicious scripts that will execute in the context of other administrators' browsers. The vulnerability is classified as a reflected cross-site scripting issue under CWE-79, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to escalate privileges and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions. An attacker who can manipulate the alttext parameter can craft malicious payloads that may steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of the authenticated administrator. This creates a significant risk for WordPress installations where administrators might be tricked into viewing compromised gallery content or where the attacker can inject persistent malicious scripts that affect all administrators who access the gallery management interface.
The vulnerability demonstrates a critical failure in the plugin's security architecture, specifically regarding input validation and output sanitization practices. According to ATT&CK framework category TA0001, this vulnerability enables initial access and privilege escalation through the exploitation of web application flaws. The attack surface is limited to authenticated administrators, but the impact is severe given that administrators typically have elevated privileges within the WordPress environment. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to compromise entire WordPress installations and potentially affect other systems within the same network environment.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the Photocrati NextGEN Gallery plugin to version 2.1.16 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as regular security audits of installed plugins, monitoring for suspicious administrative activities, and implementing strict input validation policies. Network segmentation and privilege separation can help limit the potential damage if an administrator account becomes compromised. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of keeping content management systems and their plugins updated to address known security vulnerabilities.