CVE-2018-1002004 in Arigato Autoresponder
Summary
by MITRE
There is a reflected XSS vulnerability in WordPress Arigato Autoresponder and News letter v2.5.1.8 This vulnerability requires administrative privileges to exploit.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1002004 represents a reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the WordPress Arigato Autoresponder and News letter plugin version 2.5.1.8. This particular security weakness resides in the plugin's handling of user input within administrative interfaces, where improperly sanitized parameters are reflected back to users without adequate output encoding. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's administrative dashboard functionality where user-supplied data is processed and displayed without sufficient sanitization measures. The reflected nature of this XSS vulnerability means that malicious actors can craft specially crafted URLs containing malicious script payloads that will execute in the context of an authenticated administrator's browser session when the victim clicks on the malicious link. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding, specifically targeting the improper handling of untrusted data within web applications. The vulnerability requires administrative privileges to exploit successfully, indicating that attackers must first gain access to an administrative account through other means such as credential theft, weak password exploitation, or other privilege escalation techniques before they can leverage this XSS vulnerability. The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows for complete administrative session hijacking and potential full system compromise. When an administrator clicks on a malicious link, the reflected script executes in their browser context, potentially enabling attackers to perform actions such as modifying plugin settings, accessing sensitive data, creating new administrative users, or even installing malware through the compromised administrative interface. The attack vector typically involves sending phishing emails or exploiting other attack surfaces to trick administrators into clicking malicious links that contain the XSS payload. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with T1059.007 which covers scripting languages and T1566.002 which involves spearphishing with links, making it a critical target for both automated exploitation tools and targeted social engineering campaigns. The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in proper input validation and output encoding practices, which are fundamental security controls recommended by OWASP and NIST guidelines for preventing XSS attacks. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied input is properly validated and sanitized before being processed or displayed, particularly within administrative interfaces where elevated privileges exist. The mitigation strategy involves immediate plugin updates to versions that address this vulnerability, along with implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Network segmentation and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities can help detect exploitation attempts, while user education regarding phishing awareness remains crucial for preventing initial access to administrative accounts. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other plugins and themes that may present similar attack surfaces requiring administrative privileges for exploitation.