CVE-2019-6117 in APE Gallery
Summary
by MITRE
The wpape APE GALLERY plugin 1.6.14 for WordPress has stored XSS via the classGallery.php getCategories function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2023
The wpape APE GALLERY plugin version 1.6.14 for WordPress contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that resides within the classGallery.php file in the getCategories function. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level privileges or higher to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's gallery category management system. The flaw occurs when user-supplied input from the getCategories function is not properly sanitized before being stored in the database and subsequently rendered in the plugin's administrative interface. The vulnerability represents a classic stored XSS attack vector where malicious payloads persist in the application's database and execute whenever affected pages are loaded by other users with appropriate permissions. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to have valid credentials with contributor or higher privileges within the WordPress environment. Once authenticated, the attacker can navigate to the gallery management section and submit malicious script content through the getCategories function parameters. The malicious input gets stored in the database and executed whenever the gallery categories are displayed in the WordPress admin interface. This stored nature of the vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous as the malicious code can affect multiple users without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. The vulnerability impacts the integrity and confidentiality of the WordPress administrative environment, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform additional attacks through the compromised administrative interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can lead to complete administrative compromise of the WordPress site. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can leverage the stored XSS to establish persistent access to the administrative interface, potentially leading to full site takeover. The vulnerability affects the availability of the administrative functions as malicious scripts could potentially disrupt normal operations or cause denial of service conditions. Additionally, the compromised administrative interface can be used to install malicious plugins, modify content, or exfiltrate sensitive data from the WordPress installation. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1133 for external remote services, as the compromised administrative interface can be used to establish further attack vectors.
Organizations should immediately update to the latest version of the wpape APE GALLERY plugin where this vulnerability has been patched. The patch should include proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms for all user-supplied data within the getCategories function. Administrators should also implement additional security measures including role-based access controls to limit the privileges of users who can modify gallery categories, and regular security audits of installed plugins. The vulnerability highlights the importance of validating and sanitizing all user inputs before storing them in databases, particularly in administrative interfaces where privileged users can execute potentially dangerous operations. Security monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual activity in gallery management functions, and regular penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins or custom code components.