CVE-2022-0428 in Content Egg Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/02/2022
The Content Egg WordPress plugin before 5.3.0 does not sanitise and escape the page parameter before outputting back in an attribute in the Autoblogging admin dashboard, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-0428 affects the Content Egg WordPress plugin version 5.2.9 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that exposes users to reflected cross-site scripting attacks. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's Autoblogging admin dashboard functionality. The vulnerability specifically occurs when the plugin fails to properly sanitize the page parameter before incorporating it into HTML attributes, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code that executes in the context of authenticated admin users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's handling of user-supplied input within administrative interfaces. When administrators navigate to the Autoblogging dashboard, the plugin processes the page parameter without adequate sanitization measures, allowing malicious payloads to be reflected back to the browser. This flaw aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic reflected XSS pattern where attacker-controlled input flows through the application and back to the user's browser, bypassing normal security mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for WordPress administrators who rely on the Content Egg plugin for content management and automated blogging functions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, would execute within the admin context. This execution context provides attackers with the ability to perform actions as the administrator, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or unauthorized content modification. The attack requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious link, making it particularly dangerous in phishing scenarios or when administrators visit compromised websites.
Security mitigations for CVE-2022-0428 include immediate upgrade to Content Egg plugin version 5.3.0 or later, which implements proper input sanitization and output escaping for the affected parameter. Administrators should also implement additional defensive measures such as monitoring for suspicious administrative activity, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security audits of installed plugins. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious links underscores the importance of user education and email filtering mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and reduce the impact of potential exploitation attempts. Regular patch management processes and vulnerability scanning should be enhanced to identify similar sanitization flaws in other plugins and custom applications, as this represents a common pattern in web application security vulnerabilities.