CVE-2016-1000135 in hdw-tube Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Reflected XSS in wordpress plugin hdw-tube v1.2
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2019
The vulnerability CVE-2016-1000135 represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the hdw-tube WordPress plugin version 1.2, which exposes websites to potential malicious exploitation. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's handling of user-supplied data, creating an avenue for attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The issue specifically affects the plugin's parameter processing mechanism where user input is directly reflected back to the browser without proper encoding or filtering, making it susceptible to XSS attacks. The vulnerability impacts WordPress websites that have the affected plugin installed, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical flaw manifests when the hdw-tube plugin processes certain HTTP parameters without adequate sanitization, allowing malicious input to be executed in the context of a user's browser session. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when visited by victims, are reflected back by the vulnerable plugin and executed in the victim's browser. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which defines the weakness of cross-site scripting, specifically categorized as reflected XSS where malicious scripts are reflected off a web server back to a user agent. The vulnerability's exploitation requires the victim to click on a maliciously crafted link that includes the attacker's payload in the URL parameters, making it a client-side attack vector that relies on social engineering to succeed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as reflected XSS can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized administrative actions within compromised WordPress installations. An attacker could potentially redirect users to malicious sites, steal cookies containing session information, or inject additional malicious code that persists across multiple page views. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of user data, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information or modification of website content. In a WordPress environment, this could compromise not only individual user accounts but also the entire website's administrative capabilities, especially if the victim is an administrator or privileged user. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that WordPress plugins are widely used and often have elevated privileges, making successful exploitation potentially devastating for website owners and their visitors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1000135 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the reflected XSS vulnerability, as the original hdw-tube plugin version 1.2 was found to be vulnerable. Security administrators should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious scripts from being executed, following the principle of least privilege and secure coding practices. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional layers of defense by filtering suspicious requests before they reach the vulnerable plugin. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in other installed plugins and themes. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing proper security controls as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under the T1059.001 technique for command and scripting interpreter, where reflected XSS can be leveraged to execute malicious commands through browser-based attack vectors. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, further reducing the impact of potential XSS exploitation attempts.