CVE-2016-10911 in profile-builder Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The profile-builder plugin before 2.4.2 for WordPress has multiple XSS issues.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10911 affects the profile-builder plugin for WordPress, specifically versions prior to 2.4.2, and represents a critical cross-site scripting vulnerability that exposes users to potential exploitation. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's codebase, allowing malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's user interface. The vulnerability manifests when the plugin processes user-supplied data without proper sanitization, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by unauthorized parties to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical flaw resides in the plugin's handling of user profile data and form inputs, where the code fails to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript commands. This weakness directly maps to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities as the improper sanitization of user-provided data before it is rendered in web pages. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting malicious input in user profile fields, registration forms, or other interactive components that the plugin manages. The vulnerability affects both administrators and regular users who interact with the profile-builder plugin's interface, creating a broad attack surface that can be exploited for various malicious purposes including session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption, as it enables persistent threats that can compromise user sessions and potentially escalate to full system compromise. When exploited successfully, the XSS vulnerability allows attackers to steal cookies, session tokens, and other sensitive information from authenticated users. This can lead to unauthorized access to user accounts, data breaches, and potential privilege escalation within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability's persistence stems from the fact that malicious scripts injected through the profile-builder plugin can remain active until the affected plugin is updated or the malicious content is manually removed from the database. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to redirect users to phishing sites, inject malware, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with the plugin's functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-10911 require immediate patching of the profile-builder plugin to version 2.4.2 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes and input validation improvements. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any instances of the vulnerable plugin version and ensure all WordPress installations are updated with the latest security patches. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious patterns in user profile data submissions that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded, thereby reducing the impact of successful XSS attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious payloads and conduct regular security audits of WordPress plugins to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by threat actors. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.007 for scripting and T1566 for spearphishing with social engineering, highlighting the need for both technical and user awareness-based defenses.