CVE-2018-0579 in Open Graph for Facebook
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Open Graph for Facebook, Google+ and Twitter Card Tags plugin prior to version 2.2.4.1 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0579 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Open Graph for Facebook Google+ and Twitter Card Tags WordPress plugin, affecting versions prior to 2.2.4.1. This security weakness resides in the plugin's handling of user input data, specifically within the metadata generation process that creates social sharing cards for various platforms. The issue stems from inadequate sanitization and validation of input parameters that are used to construct Open Graph tags, which are essential for proper social media integration and content sharing. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser when they view pages that contain the compromised plugin's output, making it particularly dangerous for websites that rely heavily on social media sharing functionality.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a common web application security flaw occurring when an application includes untrusted data in a new web page without proper validation or escaping. In this specific case, the plugin fails to properly sanitize user-provided content that gets embedded into HTML output, creating an environment where attackers can inject malicious scripts. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple input points within the plugin's codebase could potentially be exploited, including but not limited to post titles, descriptions, custom meta tags, or user-generated content that gets processed through the plugin's social sharing functionality. The attack typically involves crafting malicious input that, when processed by the vulnerable plugin, gets rendered as executable JavaScript code within the victim's browser context.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-0579 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains that compromise user sessions, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious websites. When exploited, this vulnerability can allow attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially leading to complete account takeovers or unauthorized modifications to website content. The widespread adoption of the affected plugin across numerous WordPress installations amplifies the potential impact, as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to compromise multiple websites simultaneously. The vulnerability also provides a vector for delivering malware through social engineering, as users are more likely to click on links that appear legitimate when shared through social media platforms, making the exploitation process more effective and harder to detect.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 2.2.4.1 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms. Security administrators should also implement additional defensive measures such as content security policies that restrict script execution within the affected website contexts, regular monitoring of plugin updates, and comprehensive security audits of all installed WordPress plugins. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security framework, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through spearphishing. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block known malicious payloads, while maintaining regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of their web infrastructure. The incident underscores the critical need for maintaining up-to-date security practices and the importance of regularly reviewing plugin security, as outdated or unpatched components represent one of the most common attack vectors in web application security breaches.