CVE-2022-29449 in Opal Hotel Room Booking Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/19/2022
Authenticated (contributor or higher user role) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Opal Hotel Room Booking plugin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2022
The CVE-2022-29449 vulnerability represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within the Opal Hotel Room Booking WordPress plugin, affecting users with contributor roles or higher privileges. This vulnerability exists in the plugin's handling of user input within the booking management system, specifically in the way it processes and stores guest information submitted through the booking interface. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious javascript code into the plugin's database, which then executes whenever other users view the affected booking records. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the privilege level of contributors, who typically have limited capabilities but can now potentially execute arbitrary code within the context of the victim's browser session.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's booking data processing functions. When users with contributor privileges submit booking information, including guest names, contact details, or special requests, the plugin fails to properly sanitize these inputs before storing them in the database. The stored data is then retrieved and displayed in various administrative interfaces without adequate context-based escaping or encoding mechanisms. This creates a classic stored XSS scenario where malicious payloads persist in the database and execute against unsuspecting users who access the affected booking records. The vulnerability manifests when the plugin displays booking data in HTML contexts without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to embed javascript payloads that can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other malicious activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains within the WordPress environment. An attacker with contributor access can craft malicious scripts that target other users with higher privileges, potentially escalating their access through session hijacking or credential theft. The vulnerability affects the entire booking management workflow, including reservation creation, guest information handling, and administrative review processes. Attackers can exploit this flaw to monitor user activities, manipulate booking data, or redirect users to phishing sites designed to capture additional credentials. The persistence of the stored payload means that the vulnerability remains active until the malicious code is manually removed from the database, making it particularly dangerous for long-term compromise of the affected WordPress installation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-29449 should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that address the input sanitization flaws, alongside administrative access controls to limit contributor privileges where possible. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation at multiple layers, including client-side and server-side sanitization, to prevent malicious code injection. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices for input handling. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential harvesting, as attackers can use the XSS payload to capture session tokens or redirect users to credential capture pages. Additionally, implementing content security policies and regular security audits of plugin installations can help detect and prevent similar vulnerabilities in other third-party components within the WordPress ecosystem.