CVE-2022-1645 in Amazon Link Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/30/2022
The Amazon Link WordPress plugin through 3.2.10 does not sanitise and escape some of its settings, which could allow high privilege users such as admin to perform Cross-Site Scripting attacks even when unfiltered_html is disallowed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-1645 affects the Amazon Link WordPress plugin version 3.2.10 and earlier, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the security posture of affected WordPress installations. This issue stems from insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-controllable input within the plugin's administrative settings, creating a persistent vector for malicious code injection that can be exploited by users with administrative privileges or higher. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates even when the WordPress environment has restricted the unfiltered_html capability, which typically prevents the execution of raw HTML and JavaScript code in user-facing contexts.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's failure to properly validate and escape output generated from administrative settings, specifically targeting parameters that are processed without adequate security measures. This allows attackers with administrative access to inject malicious scripts into plugin configuration fields that are subsequently rendered in the WordPress admin interface. When these settings are displayed to other administrators or users with sufficient privileges, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, enabling a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which describes Cross-Site Scripting flaws where insufficient input validation and output escaping allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with a persistent foothold within the WordPress environment that can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. Administrative users who are tricked into viewing compromised plugin settings become victims of the XSS payload, potentially allowing attackers to gain complete control over the WordPress installation. This threat is particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where administrators might inadvertently interact with malicious content, and the vulnerability can be exploited to establish backdoors, modify content, or steal sensitive credentials. The attack vector is classified under the ATT&CK framework as T1566.001 - Phishing, since the vulnerability relies on administrative users being tricked into interacting with malicious content within the WordPress admin interface.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-1645 should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that address the sanitization and escaping issues, as well as implementing additional security controls such as privileged user access monitoring and regular security audits of WordPress plugins. Administrators should also consider implementing content security policies to limit script execution in the WordPress admin environment, and establish procedures for validating plugin updates before deployment. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper input validation and output escaping practices in web applications, particularly within administrative interfaces where elevated privileges can amplify the impact of security flaws. Organizations should also implement regular security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other plugins or themes.