CVE-2017-18578 in crafty-social-buttons Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The crafty-social-buttons plugin before 1.5.8 for WordPress has XSS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2023
The crafty-social-buttons plugin for WordPress contains a cross-site scripting vulnerability that affects versions prior to 1.5.8, representing a critical security flaw that exposes WordPress sites to potential exploitation. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase, specifically in how it handles user-supplied data when rendering social button elements. The issue manifests when malicious actors inject crafted script payloads through vulnerable input fields or parameters that are subsequently rendered without proper sanitization.
The technical flaw stems from improper handling of user-controllable data within the plugin's social button rendering functionality, creating an environment where malicious scripts can execute in the context of authenticated users' browsers. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored XSS variant where malicious payloads are persisted and executed when other users view the affected content. The attack vector typically involves injecting malicious JavaScript through form fields or configuration parameters that are then displayed in the plugin's output without adequate sanitization or encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability 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 escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. When exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate the social button display functionality to inject malicious code that executes in the browsers of unsuspecting visitors, potentially leading to complete compromise of user accounts and site integrity. This threat is particularly concerning for WordPress sites that rely heavily on social sharing features and user-generated content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to version 1.5.8 or later of the crafty-social-buttons plugin, which contains proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as web application firewalls, regular security audits, and monitoring for suspicious plugin behavior. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1546.001 for persistence mechanisms, highlighting the need for comprehensive defensive measures. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and regular security scanning to detect similar vulnerabilities in other plugins and themes that may expose similar XSS attack surfaces.