CVE-2015-9327 in flickr-justified-gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The flickr-justified-gallery plugin before 3.4.0 for WordPress has XSS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2023
The flickr-justified-gallery plugin for WordPress contains a cross-site scripting vulnerability that affects versions prior to 3.4.0, representing a critical security flaw that exposes WordPress installations to potential exploitation. This vulnerability arises from inadequate input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase, specifically when processing user-supplied data in gallery configurations and image metadata. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially enabling unauthorized actions or data exfiltration. According to CWE-79, this vulnerability falls under the category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a widespread and well-documented class of security flaw that has been consistently identified as one of the top web application security risks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in WordPress environments where administrators or editors may be influenced to upload gallery configurations with malicious content or where attackers can manipulate gallery parameters through various attack vectors.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize and escape user input before rendering it in HTML contexts. When the plugin processes gallery settings, image captions, or other user-controllable parameters, it fails to apply appropriate security measures such as HTML entity encoding or context-specific escaping. This allows malicious actors to inject script tags or other malicious code that gets executed when legitimate users view gallery pages. The vulnerability can be exploited through multiple vectors including gallery configuration parameters, image metadata fields, or even through manipulated URL parameters that the plugin processes. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that leverage the XSS flaw to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or executing unauthorized administrative commands on behalf of authenticated users. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a technique for "Cross-Site Scripting" under the T1059.007 sub-technique, which involves using malicious scripts to compromise user sessions and gain unauthorized access to systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks that compromise entire WordPress installations. When exploited successfully, the XSS flaw can enable attackers to establish persistent access through session hijacking, deploy additional malware, or manipulate the content management system's functionality. The vulnerability affects WordPress users who rely on the flickr-justified-gallery plugin for organizing and displaying their media content, potentially exposing sensitive data and undermining the integrity of the website. Organizations running vulnerable versions of the plugin face significant risk of data breaches, content tampering, and potential compromise of user accounts. The impact is particularly severe for websites that handle sensitive information or serve as platforms for user-generated content, as the vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to exploit the trust relationship between users and the website. Additionally, the vulnerability can contribute to broader security incidents by providing attackers with a foothold to escalate privileges or move laterally within network environments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of the flickr-justified-gallery plugin to version 3.4.0 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring of plugin updates and security advisories to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future. The security measures should include input validation and output escaping for all user-controllable parameters, as recommended by OWASP security guidelines. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts, while maintaining regular security audits of installed plugins and themes. Additional defensive measures include restricting plugin installation privileges to authorized administrators only, implementing content security policies to prevent unauthorized script execution, and conducting regular security assessments of WordPress installations to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the critical need for thorough security testing of third-party components in web applications.