CVE-2022-42883 in Quiz and Survey Master Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/19/2022
Sensitive Information Disclosure vulnerability discovered by Quiz And Survey Master plugin <= 7.3.10 on WordPress.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2022
The CVE-2022-42883 vulnerability represents a sensitive information disclosure flaw within the Quiz And Survey Master WordPress plugin version 7.3.10 and earlier. This vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's handling of user data and quiz responses, creating potential exposure of confidential information to unauthorized parties. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the plugin's core functionality, particularly when processing quiz submissions and survey responses. The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit improper access controls and data handling procedures that should otherwise restrict sensitive information to authorized users only.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the plugin's failure to properly authenticate and authorize access to quiz result data and user responses. When users submit quizzes or surveys through the WordPress platform, the plugin stores this information in database structures that are subsequently accessible through specific API endpoints or direct database queries. The flaw occurs because the plugin does not adequately verify user permissions before exposing quiz data, allowing any authenticated user or potentially unauthenticated attacker to access previously submitted responses and associated metadata. This misconfiguration creates a path for information leakage that violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and data protection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as quiz and survey responses often contain sensitive personal information, confidential business data, or proprietary content that organizations rely on maintaining secrecy. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can gain access to detailed user behavior patterns, test results, survey responses, and potentially personal identifiable information that could be used for identity theft, social engineering attacks, or competitive intelligence gathering. The vulnerability affects organizations using WordPress platforms with the affected plugin version, creating widespread exposure across various industries including education, healthcare, corporate training, and government sectors where quiz and survey functionality is commonly deployed. This exposure can lead to regulatory compliance violations under data protection frameworks such as gdpr, hipaa, and other privacy regulations that mandate proper handling of sensitive information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-42883 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the identified information disclosure flaw, as this represents the most direct solution to the vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network-level access controls to restrict direct database access and API endpoints that handle quiz data, while ensuring proper authentication mechanisms are in place for all data access operations. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to quiz and survey data, with regular audit trails maintained to track access patterns and identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) classifications, and represents a typical example of how insufficient access control mechanisms can lead to data leakage in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) as attackers may leverage information exposure for further reconnaissance and attack planning. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify similar access control weaknesses in other plugins and custom applications, as this represents a common pattern in web application security vulnerabilities.