CVE-2022-0620 in Delete Old Orders Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/28/2022
The Delete Old Orders WordPress plugin through 0.2 does not sanitize and escape the date parameter before outputting it back in an admin page, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/31/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-0620 affects the Delete Old Orders WordPress plugin version 0.2 and earlier, presenting a critical security risk through reflected cross-site scripting exploitation. This issue stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied input parameters before rendering them within administrative interfaces. The vulnerability specifically targets the date parameter handling within the plugin's admin functionality, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can inject malicious scripts into the application's response. The reflected nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload is executed when a user clicks on a specially crafted link containing the XSS payload, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or when exploited through social engineering tactics. The flaw exists within the plugin's user interface handling logic where input validation and output escaping mechanisms are insufficiently implemented.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. This weakness manifests when an application includes untrusted data in a new web page without proper validation or escaping, or when it reuses a buffer without resetting its contents. The vulnerability operates within the context of the WordPress administration interface where the plugin's date parameter is directly incorporated into HTML output without appropriate sanitization. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when executed in the context of an authenticated administrator's browser, can perform unauthorized actions such as modifying plugin settings, accessing sensitive data, or even compromising the entire WordPress installation. The reflected XSS nature indicates that the malicious code is reflected back to the user through the application's response, typically via URL parameters or form submissions.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-0620 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to WordPress administrative functions. When an administrator clicks on a maliciously crafted URL, the reflected script executes in their browser context, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, modify plugin configurations, or inject additional malicious code into the application. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, as the attack vector is typically delivered through phishing emails or compromised websites that direct users to malicious URLs. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where administrators frequently interact with various web applications and may inadvertently click on malicious links. The reflected nature of the vulnerability also means that the attack is difficult to detect through traditional security monitoring systems, as the malicious payloads are only present in the specific request that triggers the XSS.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-0620 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the sanitization and escaping deficiencies. System administrators should implement comprehensive input validation and output escaping mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other parts of their WordPress installations. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied input parameters before processing or rendering them within the application's interface, with specific focus on date parameters and other temporal data inputs. Organizations should also deploy web application firewalls and content security policies to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across all web applications. The implementation of proper security headers, including Content Security Policy directives, can provide additional protection against reflected XSS attacks by limiting the sources from which scripts can be executed within the application context. Security teams should also establish monitoring procedures to detect unusual patterns in plugin usage that might indicate exploitation attempts.