CVE-2022-29422 in Countdown & Clock plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/06/2022
Multiple Authenticated (admin+) Persistent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Adam Skaat's Countdown & Clock plugin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-29422 represents a critical security flaw in the Countdown & Clock plugin developed by Adam Skaat, affecting versions prior to 1.7.1. This issue manifests as multiple authenticated persistent cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that require administrative privileges or higher to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where plugin administrators have elevated access rights. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's administrative interfaces, creating persistent XSS attack vectors that can affect all users who interact with the compromised plugin functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before storing and rendering it within the administrative dashboard and frontend interfaces. Attackers with administrator-level access can inject malicious JavaScript payloads through various input fields within the plugin's configuration panels, which are then stored in the database and executed whenever affected pages are loaded by other users. This persistent nature means that the malicious scripts will execute every time users access the plugin's functionality, creating a long-term attack vector that can persist across multiple sessions and user interactions. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's countdown timer and clock display features, where user inputs are not adequately filtered or escaped before being rendered in HTML contexts.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-29422 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the compromised WordPress environment. An attacker could potentially steal administrator cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject additional malicious code that could compromise the entire WordPress installation. The vulnerability's persistence means that even after initial exploitation, the malicious payloads continue to function without requiring repeated attacks, making it particularly effective for maintaining long-term access to compromised systems. This type of vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws due to insufficient input validation, and represents a significant risk to WordPress plugin security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-29422 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 1.7.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the input sanitization issues. Organizations should also implement comprehensive monitoring of administrative plugin access and user activities, particularly focusing on unusual input patterns or unauthorized configuration changes. Network segmentation and role-based access controls can help limit the potential impact if an attacker does gain administrative access, while regular security audits of WordPress plugins should include verification of input validation mechanisms. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and regular security scanning of plugin directories can provide additional layers of protection against similar vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1548.001 for privilege escalation and T1189 for additional persistence mechanisms, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures that address both immediate exploitation and long-term system compromise risks.