CVE-2022-3919 in Jetpack CRM Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2022
The Jetpack CRM WordPress plugin before 5.4.3 does not sanitise and escape its settings, allowing high privilege users such as admin to perform cross-Site Scripting attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-3919 affects the Jetpack CRM WordPress plugin version 5.4.2 and earlier, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the security posture of WordPress installations. This vulnerability exists within the plugin's settings handling mechanism where input validation and output escaping mechanisms are insufficiently implemented, creating an attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of a victim's browser.
The technical flaw stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitise user inputs when processing settings configurations, particularly affecting high-privilege administrators who possess the capability to modify plugin settings. Even when the WordPress environment has restricted the unfiltered_html capability to prevent direct HTML injection, the vulnerability allows attackers to bypass these protections through the plugin's settings interface. This represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and input validation, where the plugin does not adequately verify or escape data before rendering it in the user interface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and demonstrates poor input sanitisation practices that violate security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables authenticated attackers with administrator privileges to execute persistent XSS attacks against other users within the same WordPress installation. An attacker could craft malicious settings that, when viewed by other administrators or users with access to the CRM interface, would execute malicious scripts in their browsers. This could lead to session hijacking, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or the deployment of backdoors within the WordPress environment. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages legitimate administrative functionality, making the malicious payloads appear as normal plugin settings modifications rather than suspicious code injections.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching to version 5.4.3 or later, which addresses the sanitisation and escaping deficiencies in the plugin's settings handling. Administrators should also implement additional security measures including regular security audits of installed plugins, monitoring for unusual administrative activities, and implementing role-based access controls that limit the number of users with administrative privileges. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper output escaping and input validation as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's defense evasion techniques, where attackers exploit application-level flaws to maintain persistence and escalate privileges within compromised environments. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against such attacks.