CVE-2017-18503 in twitter-cards-meta Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The twitter-cards-meta plugin before 2.5.0 for WordPress has XSS.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-18503 affects the twitter-cards-meta plugin for WordPress, specifically versions prior to 2.5.0, and represents a cross-site scripting vulnerability that poses significant security risks to WordPress installations. This plugin, designed to enhance social media integration by generating twitter cards for posts and pages, contains a critical flaw in its input handling mechanisms that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into web pages viewed by end users.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's failure to properly sanitize and validate user-supplied input parameters before rendering them in HTML output contexts. When users interact with the plugin's functionality, particularly when configuring or displaying twitter card metadata, the application does not adequately escape special characters or filter malicious payloads that could contain script tags, event handlers, or other XSS vectors. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored XSS attack vector where malicious code can persist and execute in the browser of any user who views the affected content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent footholds within WordPress environments. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can execute malicious scripts in the context of the victim's browser session, potentially stealing cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive authentication data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the core WordPress functionality that many administrators and users interact with regularly, making it an attractive target for widespread exploitation. The attack surface is broad since any user who can modify plugin settings or create content that gets rendered through the twitter cards functionality could potentially leverage this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-18503 primarily focus on immediate remediation through plugin version updates, as the vulnerability was addressed in version 2.5.0 of the twitter-cards-meta plugin. Administrators should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation and output encoding at multiple layers of the application architecture. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can help detect and block known XSS patterns, though they should not be considered a substitute for proper code-level fixes. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious inputs and T1059.001 for command and control through script execution, making it a significant concern for security operations teams monitoring WordPress environments. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes, along with maintaining updated security patches, form essential components of a comprehensive defense strategy against similar vulnerabilities.