CVE-2022-4749 in Posts List Designer by Category Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/30/2023
The Posts List Designer by Category WordPress plugin before 3.2 does not validate and escape some of its shortcode attributes before outputting them back in the page, which could allow users with a role as low as contributor to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks which could be used against high privilege users such as admins.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2025
The Posts List Designer by Category WordPress plugin vulnerability CVE-2022-4749 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw that affects versions prior to 3.2. This vulnerability exists within the plugin's handling of shortcode attributes, specifically failing to properly validate and escape user-supplied input before rendering it back to the web page. The flaw is particularly concerning because it allows users with minimal privileges, including contributors who typically have limited capabilities within WordPress environments, to execute malicious scripts against higher-privileged users such as administrators. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization within the plugin's shortcode processing logic, which directly violates security best practices for web application development.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the plugin processes shortcode attributes without adequate validation or escaping mechanisms. When a contributor creates or modifies content using the plugin's shortcode functionality, they can inject malicious JavaScript code into attributes that are then stored in the database. Upon subsequent page loads or when the shortcode is rendered, this stored malicious code executes in the context of other users' browsers, particularly administrators who may view the affected content. The vulnerability classifies under CWE-79 as Cross-Site Scripting, specifically stored XSS, where the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server and executed when other users access the affected pages. This type of vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through spearphishing attachments or links, as it enables attackers to establish persistent access through compromised administrator sessions.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-4749 extends far beyond the immediate scope of the plugin, as it provides attackers with a vector to compromise high-privilege accounts within WordPress installations. Since contributors can exploit this vulnerability, attackers may gain access to sites where contributor accounts are more easily obtainable or where administrators are less vigilant about content review. The stored nature of the XSS payload means that once a malicious shortcode is injected, it will persist and execute automatically whenever the affected pages are viewed, potentially affecting multiple administrators over extended periods. This vulnerability can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, or to deploy additional malware through the compromised administrator sessions. The risk is amplified in multi-user environments where administrators frequently view content created by contributors, making the attack surface significantly larger than typical XSS vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-4749 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 3.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the validation and escaping deficiencies. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as restricting contributor capabilities, monitoring for suspicious shortcode usage, and conducting regular security audits of installed plugins. The WordPress security team recommends enabling automatic updates for security patches and maintaining comprehensive backup procedures to quickly restore systems if compromised. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of inline scripts and reduce the impact of successful XSS attacks. Regular vulnerability scanning and security assessments of WordPress installations can help identify similar issues in other plugins or themes that may present analogous security weaknesses requiring similar remediation approaches.