CVE-2017-15867 in user-login-history Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the user-login-history plugin through 1.5.2 for WordPress allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) date_from, (2) date_to, (3) user_id, (4) username, (5) country_name, (6) browser, (7) operating_system, or (8) ip_address parameter to admin/partials/listing/listing.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15867 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the user-login-history plugin for WordPress, affecting versions through 1.5.2. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interface, specifically in the file admin/partials/listing/listing.php. The vulnerability manifests when user-supplied parameters are directly incorporated into HTML responses without proper encoding or filtering, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of authenticated admin sessions.
The technical flaw resides in the plugin's handling of multiple HTTP parameters including date_from, date_to, user_id, username, country_name, browser, operating_system, and ip_address. These parameters are typically used for filtering and displaying user login history data within the WordPress admin dashboard. When attackers supply malicious payloads through any of these parameters, the plugin fails to properly sanitize the input before rendering it in the HTML output. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic case of insufficient output encoding where user-controllable data enters the application's response without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts that can compromise the WordPress admin interface. Attackers could potentially execute scripts in the context of authenticated administrators, leading to complete compromise of the WordPress installation. The injected scripts could perform actions such as stealing administrator cookies, modifying user permissions, installing malicious plugins, or exfiltrating sensitive data. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the administrative context where users have elevated privileges, potentially allowing attackers to escalate their access and maintain persistent control over the compromised system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-15867 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the XSS vulnerabilities, as the original plugin authors have likely released patches. Organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding practices throughout their WordPress installations, ensuring all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being rendered in HTML contexts. Security measures should include implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, regular security audits of WordPress plugins, and maintaining comprehensive monitoring of administrative interfaces for suspicious activity. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following ATT&CK framework techniques such as T1059.007 for script injection and T1548.001 for privilege escalation, as these attack patterns are commonly associated with XSS vulnerabilities in web applications. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input validation at multiple layers of the application architecture can provide defense-in-depth against similar vulnerabilities in the future.