CVE-2022-2328 in Flexi Quote Rotator Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/01/2022
The Flexi Quote Rotator WordPress plugin through 0.9.4 does not sanitise and escape its settings, allowing high privilege users such as admin to perform Cross-Site Scripting attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-2328 affects the Flexi Quote Rotator WordPress plugin version 0.9.4 and earlier, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the security posture of affected WordPress installations. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's handling of user settings and configuration parameters, where inadequate sanitization and escaping mechanisms permit malicious code injection. The flaw specifically targets high-privilege users including administrators who possess the ability to modify plugin settings, making it particularly dangerous as these users typically have elevated permissions within the WordPress environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly validate and sanitize user input within its administrative interfaces. When administrators access the plugin settings to configure quote rotations and display options, the system does not adequately escape or sanitize the data entered into various input fields. This lack of input validation creates an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious javascript payloads that can execute within the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates even when the WordPress environment has restricted the unfiltered_html capability, which is a standard security measure designed to prevent arbitrary html injection in contexts where it could be dangerous.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to WordPress installations that rely on the Flexi Quote Rotator plugin. An attacker with administrative privileges could craft malicious settings that would execute when other users view the quote rotator display, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The impact extends beyond simple XSS exploitation as the vulnerability could serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, including privilege escalation within the WordPress environment or data exfiltration from the affected installation. The fact that this vulnerability affects plugin settings rather than front-end content makes it particularly insidious as it can persist in the configuration without obvious user detection.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and it demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1546.001 related to modifications to the Windows Registry or similar system modifications that can persistently establish malicious code execution. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and proper input validation, which are fundamental security controls recommended by both NIST and OWASP. The affected plugin's failure to implement proper sanitization mechanisms indicates a lack of security awareness in the development process, particularly regarding the handling of user-supplied data in administrative contexts where such data could be executed as code.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the Flexi Quote Rotator plugin to version 0.9.5 or later, which addresses the sanitization and escaping issues. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as restricting administrative access to the minimum required users, regularly auditing plugin configurations, and monitoring for unusual administrative activities. Network-based security controls including web application firewalls and content filtering systems can provide additional layers of protection, though these should not replace proper patch management and code sanitization. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning processes that can identify similar issues in other plugins and themes, as this vulnerability type frequently appears in poorly secured wordpress components and represents a common attack vector in web application security.