CVE-2022-36796 in Phone Call Tracking Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/01/2022
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability leading to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in CallRail, Inc. CallRail Phone Call Tracking plugin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2022
The CVE-2022-36796 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the CallRail Phone Call Tracking plugin that demonstrates the dangerous intersection of cross-site request forgery and stored cross-site scripting attacks. This vulnerability affects the CallRail platform which provides phone call tracking and analytics services for businesses, making it a significant concern for organizations that rely on the plugin for customer interaction tracking. The flaw exists within the plugin's handling of user requests and input validation mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's trust model.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of HTTP request origins and missing proper CSRF token verification within the plugin's administrative interfaces. When users interact with the CallRail plugin, particularly in administrative contexts where configuration changes or data submissions occur, the system fails to properly validate that requests originate from legitimate sources. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users, effectively bypassing the plugin's built-in security controls. The flaw specifically manifests when the plugin processes user-submitted data that gets stored and subsequently reflected in web pages without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-36796 extends beyond simple data theft or service disruption, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of authenticated users' browsers. This stored XSS capability means that malicious payloads can persist in the system and affect multiple users who view affected pages, creating a potential attack surface that could compromise user sessions, steal sensitive information, or redirect users to malicious websites. The vulnerability affects organizations using the CallRail plugin for call tracking, potentially exposing their customer interaction data and communication analytics to unauthorized access. Security researchers have classified this as a high-severity issue due to its potential for widespread impact across multiple installations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the patched versions of the CallRail plugin, implementing additional CSRF protection measures, and monitoring for suspicious activities in their plugin usage. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352 which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses, and the stored XSS component relates to CWE-79 which covers cross-site scripting flaws. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and execution through web application attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls, monitoring for unusual administrative activities, and conducting thorough security assessments of all third-party plugins to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in their environments. The incident highlights the critical importance of validating user input and implementing robust session management controls in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive customer interaction data.