CVE-2016-10920 in gnucommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The gnucommerce plugin before 0.5.7-BETA for WordPress has XSS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10920 affects the gnucommerce plugin for WordPress, specifically versions prior to 0.5.7-BETA, and represents a cross-site scripting flaw that poses significant security risks to WordPress installations. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of injection attacks where malicious scripts can be injected into web applications and executed in the context of other users' browsers. The gnucommerce plugin serves as an e-commerce solution for WordPress platforms, making it a potentially attractive target for attackers seeking to exploit web applications. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the plugin's code implementation, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through various input vectors.
The technical flaw manifests when the plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it on web pages, creating an environment where attacker-controlled content can be executed without proper security controls. This issue typically occurs when the plugin processes form inputs, URL parameters, or other user-provided data without implementing appropriate sanitization or encoding measures. The vulnerability allows for persistent or reflected cross-site scripting attacks, where malicious code can be stored on the server and executed whenever legitimate users access affected pages, or injected into the response and executed immediately when users interact with the vulnerable application. The lack of proper security controls in the plugin's data handling processes creates a pathway for attackers to manipulate the application's behavior and potentially gain unauthorized access to user sessions or sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, defacement of web pages, and redirection to malicious sites. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information from authenticated users, potentially leading to full account compromise or unauthorized administrative access. The vulnerability also enables attackers to modify the content displayed to users, potentially defacing the website or injecting malicious advertisements. Given that WordPress is one of the most widely used content management systems, the exploitation of such vulnerabilities in popular plugins can have widespread consequences, affecting numerous websites and potentially compromising thousands of users across different organizations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of the gnucommerce plugin to version 0.5.7-BETA or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to prevent the XSS attack vector. Organizations should also implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout their web applications, following established security practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and the CWE catalog. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection attacks. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers, using secure coding practices, and conducting regular security audits can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular updates and patch management processes should be established to ensure all third-party plugins and themes are kept current with security fixes, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components in web application security.