CVE-2022-1643 in Birthdays Widget Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/30/2022
The Birthdays Widget WordPress plugin through 1.7.18 does not sanitise and escape some of its fields, which could allow high privilege users such as admin to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2022
The CVE-2022-1643 vulnerability affects the Birthdays Widget WordPress plugin version 1.7.18 and earlier, presenting a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that exploits inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms. This flaw specifically targets high-privilege users such as administrators who possess the unfiltered_html capability, which is typically restricted in WordPress installations to prevent malicious code injection. The vulnerability arises from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-provided data before storing it in the database and subsequently rendering it on web pages without appropriate HTML escaping.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated administrator or user with elevated privileges creates or modifies birthday entries through the plugin's interface. The plugin fails to implement proper sanitization routines for fields that accept user input, allowing malicious scripts to be stored in the database. When these stored entries are later rendered on the frontend or admin interface, the unescaped script code executes in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further compromise of the WordPress installation. This represents a classic stored XSS vulnerability that aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-1643 extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with a persistent foothold within the WordPress environment. Once exploited, the vulnerability allows for the execution of malicious JavaScript code that can manipulate the user interface, steal cookies and session data, redirect users to malicious sites, or even escalate privileges further within the compromised system. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only an account with administrative privileges to exploit, which often represents a significant attack surface in WordPress environments where admin accounts are prime targets for compromise.
Security practitioners should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched version of the Birthdays Widget plugin, ensuring that all users with administrative privileges are properly authenticated and monitored, and implementing additional security measures such as content security policies to limit the impact of potential XSS exploits. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and output escaping practices as recommended by the OWASP Top Ten and the ATT&CK framework's T1059.001 technique for command and scripting interpreter, where malicious code execution occurs through web application vulnerabilities. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of their WordPress plugins to identify similar sanitization issues and ensure that all user-provided data undergoes proper validation and escaping before storage and rendering.