CVE-2017-18500 in social-buttons-pack Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The social-buttons-pack plugin before 1.1.1 for WordPress has multiple XSS issues.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/23/2023
The CVE-2017-18500 vulnerability affects the social-buttons-pack plugin for WordPress, specifically versions prior to 1.1.1, and represents a significant cross-site scripting vulnerability that exposes WordPress sites to potential exploitation. This vulnerability arises from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's codebase, creating persistent security gaps that malicious actors can leverage to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of users' browsers. The issue is particularly concerning as it affects a widely used social media integration plugin that allows website administrators to add social sharing buttons to their content, making it a common target for attackers seeking to compromise visitor sessions or redirect them to malicious sites.
The technical flaw manifests through multiple vectors where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being rendered on web pages. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious input through various plugin interfaces or configuration settings that get stored and subsequently executed when other users view the affected pages. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to sanitize user-provided data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The vulnerability creates a persistent XSS attack surface that can be exploited across multiple user sessions, making it particularly dangerous for high-traffic WordPress installations where numerous users interact with social sharing features.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-18500 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, and potentially redirect users to phishing or malware distribution sites. When exploited, this vulnerability can compromise the integrity of WordPress installations and the trust relationships between users and website administrators. The attack surface is particularly broad since social buttons are commonly used across various website types, from personal blogs to corporate sites, making the vulnerability attractive to attackers seeking maximum impact with minimal effort. Additionally, the vulnerability can be leveraged to establish persistent backdoors or to conduct more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or data exfiltration, as demonstrated by various threat actor campaigns that have exploited similar XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-18500 primarily focus on immediate plugin updates to version 1.1.1 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the input sanitization flaws. Security professionals should also implement comprehensive input validation at multiple layers, including server-side sanitization of all user-provided data and output encoding of dynamic content to prevent script injection. Network-based protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures by monitoring for suspicious patterns associated with XSS attacks. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 - Data from Information Repositories, as attackers may use the compromised social buttons to harvest user data or manipulate content, and T1566 - Phishing, since the XSS can be used to redirect users to malicious domains. Organizations should also conduct thorough security audits of their WordPress installations to identify other vulnerable plugins and ensure proper security hardening practices are implemented across all web applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future.