CVE-2022-29923 in ThingsForRestaurants Quick Restaurant Reservations Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/20/2022
Authenticated (admin or higher user role) Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in ThingsForRestaurants Quick Restaurant Reservations plugin <= 1.4.1 at WordPress.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2025
This vulnerability exists within the ThingsForRestaurants Quick Restaurant Reservations WordPress plugin, specifically affecting versions 1.4.1 and earlier. The issue represents a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that requires an authenticated user with administrator or higher privileges to exploit. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interfaces, where user-supplied data is not adequately sanitized before being reflected back to the browser. This allows an attacker with administrative access to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other administrators or users who view the affected pages. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a significant risk as it enables privilege escalation and persistent malicious activity within the WordPress environment. The attacker could potentially modify critical plugin settings, inject malicious code into reservation forms, or establish backdoor access points that persist across sessions. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.001 which involves privilege escalation through the exploitation of administrative interfaces. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload is executed when a victim clicks a specially crafted link or visits a page containing the malicious input, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attacks. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and the installation of additional malicious components within the WordPress ecosystem. Organizations using this plugin should immediately upgrade to version 1.4.2 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities can provide additional layers of protection. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in administrative interfaces where privileged users have elevated capabilities to affect system security and integrity. Security best practices recommend that all user inputs, particularly those processed within administrative sections, should undergo rigorous sanitization to prevent injection attacks. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes should include checks for similar vulnerabilities that could be exploited by authenticated users to compromise the entire WordPress installation. The remediation process should also involve reviewing and validating all plugin permissions and access controls to ensure that privilege levels are properly enforced and that no unnecessary administrative capabilities are exposed to users. Organizations should consider implementing automated patch management systems to ensure timely updates of vulnerable components and reduce the window of exposure for known vulnerabilities.