CVE-2022-4792 in News & Blog Designer Pack Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/30/2023
The News & Blog Designer Pack WordPress plugin before 3.3 does not validate and escape one of its shortcode attributes, which could allow users with a role as low as contributor to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-4792 affects the News & Blog Designer Pack WordPress plugin version 3.2 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of WordPress installations. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's shortcode implementation, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute persistent cross-site scripting attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited by users with minimal privileges, specifically those holding the contributor role within WordPress, which typically has limited capabilities to modify website content beyond publishing posts.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's failure to properly sanitize a shortcode attribute, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that gets stored within the WordPress database. When other users access pages containing this compromised shortcode, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. This stored XSS vulnerability operates through the WordPress shortcode system, where user-generated content is processed and rendered without adequate security measures to prevent malicious input from being persisted and executed. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft as it can enable attackers to gain deeper access to the WordPress administrative interface or manipulate content in ways that compromise the entire website's security posture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for WordPress site administrators who may not immediately detect the presence of malicious scripts within their content management system. Contributors, who traditionally have limited capabilities in WordPress environments, can leverage this flaw to establish persistent backdoors or execute malicious code across multiple user sessions. This threat model aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious content and T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter execution. The vulnerability also violates CWE-79 which defines cross-site scripting as a weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web applications. Organizations using affected versions of this plugin face potential data breaches, reputational damage, and compliance violations that could result in substantial financial and operational consequences.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 3.3 or later, which contain the necessary security patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Administrators should conduct thorough security audits of their WordPress installations to identify any existing malicious code or compromised content that may have been injected through this vulnerability. Additional protective measures include implementing content security policies, restricting contributor privileges to prevent unauthorized content modification, and monitoring user activities for suspicious behavior patterns. Regular security scanning of WordPress installations using tools like Wordfence or Sucuri can help detect similar vulnerabilities and maintain ongoing protection against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of proper input validation and output escaping practices as outlined in OWASP top ten security principles, emphasizing that all user-supplied data must be rigorously sanitized before being processed or displayed within web applications.