CVE-2022-37338 in Blossom Recipe Maker Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/23/2022
Multiple Authenticated (contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Blossom Recipe Maker plugin <= 1.0.7 at WordPress.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2022
The CVE-2022-37338 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the Blossom Recipe Maker WordPress plugin affecting versions 1.0.7 and earlier. This vulnerability manifests as multiple authenticated stored cross-site scripting issues that require at least contributor-level user privileges to exploit, making it particularly concerning for WordPress environments where multiple users with varying permission levels exist. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of user input within recipe creation and management functionalities, creating a persistent threat vector that can affect all users who view affected content.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. When authenticated users with contributor privileges create or modify recipe content, the plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before storing it in the database. This stored data is then subsequently rendered without adequate context-specific escaping, allowing malicious scripts to be executed in the browsers of other users who access the affected recipe pages. The flaw operates as a stored XSS vulnerability because the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server and executed whenever affected content is displayed, rather than requiring a one-time injection into a single request.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for WordPress administrators and site owners who may not immediately detect the compromise of their recipe content. Attackers with contributor-level access can inject malicious JavaScript code that could redirect users to phishing sites, steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting or malware distribution. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as the stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious code persists until manually removed from the database, potentially affecting numerous users over extended periods. This vulnerability particularly affects WordPress sites that rely heavily on user-generated content and recipe sharing functionalities, making it a prime target for exploitation in environments with less stringent access controls.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, and demonstrates how insufficient input validation and output escaping can create persistent security risks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Engineering) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) as attackers can leverage the stored XSS to execute malicious JavaScript code and potentially establish further compromise. The authenticated nature of this vulnerability also relates to T1078.004 (Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts) and T1484.001 (Domain Policy Modification) as it provides a method for attackers to escalate privileges or establish persistence within WordPress environments. Organizations should immediately update to the patched version of the Blossom Recipe Maker plugin and conduct thorough security audits of their WordPress installations to identify any potential exploitation attempts or malicious code injection that may have occurred prior to patching.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate plugin updates to version 1.0.8 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the stored XSS vulnerabilities. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as regular monitoring of user activity, particularly for users with contributor privileges, and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. Input validation should be strengthened at multiple levels including server-side sanitization, output escaping for all dynamic content, and regular security scanning of stored content for malicious payloads. Additionally, organizations should review their WordPress user permission structures to ensure that contributor-level accounts have appropriate restrictions on content creation and modification capabilities, reducing the attack surface available to potential attackers. Regular security assessments and penetration testing of WordPress installations should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins or themes that may present similar security risks.