CVE-2022-45848 in Contest Gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/07/2022
Unauth. Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Contest Gallery plugin <= 13.1.0.9 on WordPress.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-45848 represents an unauthorized stored cross-site scripting flaw within the Contest Gallery plugin for WordPress, affecting versions up to and including 13.1.0.9. This security weakness allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's storage mechanisms, which then execute when other users view the affected content. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and output escaping within the plugin's data handling processes, creating an avenue for persistent malicious code execution across user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied data before storing it in the database. When administrators or users submit content through the contest gallery interface, the plugin does not adequately filter or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This stored data is subsequently retrieved and displayed without proper context-aware encoding, enabling attackers to embed malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of unsuspecting victims. The flaw operates at the intersection of poor input sanitization and inadequate output encoding, creating a classic stored XSS attack vector.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to WordPress sites utilizing the Contest Gallery plugin. Attackers can exploit this weakness to steal user sessions, credentials, or personal information from authenticated users who view affected contest entries. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it remains persistent and affects all users who access the compromised content. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with contest galleries, as the malicious payload can propagate across numerous user sessions and potentially compromise entire user bases. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential system compromise through session hijacking and further exploitation opportunities.
Security mitigations for CVE-2022-45848 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the stored XSS vulnerability. Administrators must ensure all instances of the Contest Gallery plugin are upgraded to patched releases that implement proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms. Additionally, implementing content security policies can provide defense-in-depth measures to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts even if the primary vulnerability is not fully patched. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and maintaining updated security tooling should be enforced to identify similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes improper neutralization of input during web page generation, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing with malicious attachments or links, as users may inadvertently execute malicious code through legitimate plugin interactions.