CVE-2016-1000152 in tidio-form Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Reflected XSS in wordpress plugin tidio-form v1.0
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/24/2019
The vulnerability CVE-2016-1000152 represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the tidio-form WordPress plugin version 1.0. This security weakness specifically affects web applications that utilize the plugin for form handling and data collection, creating a potential vector for malicious attackers to execute unauthorized code within users' browsers. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the plugin's codebase, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts through crafted HTTP requests that are then reflected back to users.
The technical implementation of this reflected XSS vulnerability occurs when the plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input parameters before incorporating them into dynamically generated web page content. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious URLs containing script tags or other malicious payloads that get executed when users access the vulnerable page. The flaw typically manifests in parameters that handle form data or user inputs, where the plugin directly echoes back user-provided content without appropriate HTML escaping or context-aware encoding. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of the victim's browser session, potentially stealing cookies, session tokens, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to complete session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation within the affected WordPress environment. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to impersonate legitimate users, access administrative panels, or manipulate form submissions to redirect users to malicious websites. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the attack payload is delivered through a crafted URL that, when clicked by a victim, executes the malicious script in their browser. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in targeted attacks or when combined with social engineering techniques, as users may unknowingly click on links containing the malicious payloads.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, starting with immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 1.1 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing content security policies that restrict script execution and employ input validation mechanisms to sanitize all user-supplied data before processing. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting languages, particularly JavaScript execution in web browsers. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious URL patterns and unusual form submission behaviors that might indicate exploitation attempts, while regular security audits of installed plugins can help identify similar vulnerabilities across the entire WordPress ecosystem.