CVE-2015-9428 in wplegalpages Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The wplegalpages plugin before 1.1 for WordPress has CSRF with resultant XSS via wp-admin/admin.php?page=legal-pages lp-domain-name, lp-business-name, lp-phone, lp-street, lp-city-state, lp-country, lp-email, lp-address, or lp-niche parameters.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/27/2023
The CVE-2015-9428 vulnerability affects the wplegalpages plugin version 1.1 and earlier for WordPress, representing a critical security flaw that combines cross-site request forgery with cross-site scripting attacks. This vulnerability exists within the plugin's administrative interface where it fails to implement proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms while simultaneously processing user input without adequate sanitization. The flaw manifests when an attacker crafts malicious requests that target the wp-admin/admin.php?page=legal-pages endpoint, specifically exploiting parameters related to domain name, business name, phone number, street address, city-state, country, email address, physical address, and niche information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's lack of proper CSRF token validation in its administrative forms. When administrators visit the legal pages configuration interface, the plugin accepts parameters through GET requests without verifying the authenticity of the request source. This absence of anti-CSRF measures allows attackers to construct malicious URLs or HTML forms that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, would modify the plugin's configuration settings. The vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous because the plugin processes these parameters without adequate input sanitization or output encoding, creating a direct pathway for XSS exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of the administrator's browser session. This capability allows threat actors to perform actions such as stealing administrator cookies, modifying plugin settings, redirecting users to malicious sites, or even installing backdoors through the compromised administrative interface. The vulnerability affects all WordPress installations using the vulnerable plugin version, making it particularly attractive to automated exploitation tools that scan for known WordPress vulnerabilities. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain persistent access to compromised sites and potentially use the administrative privileges to compromise entire WordPress installations or associated systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-9428 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 1.1 or later, which includes proper CSRF token implementation and input sanitization measures. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as role-based access restrictions for administrative interfaces, regular security auditing of installed plugins, and network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution. Administrators should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts, while maintaining comprehensive backup procedures to ensure rapid recovery in case of successful exploitation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other WordPress plugins and themes, as this type of vulnerability commonly affects poorly secured administrative interfaces in content management systems.