CVE-2022-0186 in Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/21/2022
The Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid WordPress plugin before 3.5.3 does not sanitise and escape the Description field when editing a gallery, allowing users with a role as low as contributor to perform Cross-Site Scripting attacks against other users having access to the gallery dashboard
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2022
The CVE-2022-0186 vulnerability resides within the Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid WordPress plugin, specifically affecting versions prior to 3.5.3. This security flaw represents a classic cross-site scripting vulnerability that exploits insufficient input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interface. The vulnerability manifests when users with contributor-level privileges attempt to modify gallery descriptions, creating a potential attack vector that could compromise other users with access to the gallery dashboard. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied content before rendering it within the web interface, allowing malicious scripts to be injected and executed in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the Description field during gallery editing operations. When a contributor-level user submits malicious content containing script tags or other executable code within the description field, the plugin fails to sanitize this input before displaying it to other users who access the gallery dashboard. This oversight creates a persistent cross-site scripting condition where any user with dashboard access can become victim to the injected malicious code. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's handling of user-generated content within the administrative context, where the sanitization process is inadequate to prevent script injection attacks. This flaw operates at the intersection of insufficient input validation and improper output escaping, creating a security gap that directly enables malicious code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-0186 extends beyond simple script injection, as it allows for potential privilege escalation and data exfiltration attacks. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute commands on behalf of other users with dashboard access. The contributor role represents a relatively low privilege level within WordPress, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it enables attackers to compromise systems with minimal access requirements. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the WordPress administrative interface and could lead to unauthorized modifications of gallery content, potential data breaches, or further exploitation of the compromised user sessions. This issue directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the security model of WordPress plugin architecture.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-0186 primarily focus on immediate plugin updates to version 3.5.3 or later, which includes proper sanitization and escaping mechanisms for user input. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as restricting contributor roles from accessing gallery editing features when possible, implementing content security policies to limit script execution, and monitoring user activity for suspicious description modifications. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and follows ATT&CK technique T1566 for social engineering through malicious content injection. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins, implementation of web application firewalls, and maintaining updated security practices are essential defensive measures against similar vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem. Organizations should also consider implementing role-based access controls that limit user capabilities to prevent exploitation of low-privilege accounts for higher-level attacks.