CVE-2023-0166 in Product Slider for WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/13/2023
The Product Slider for WooCommerce by PickPlugins WordPress plugin before 1.13.42 does not validate and escape some of its shortcode attributes before outputting them back in a page/post where the shortcode is embed, which could allow users with the contributor role and above to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-0166 affects the Product Slider for WooCommerce WordPress plugin developed by PickPlugins, specifically versions prior to 1.13.42. This issue represents a classic stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that arises from inadequate input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's shortcode implementation. The vulnerability exists in the way the plugin processes and renders shortcode attributes, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can inject persistent malicious scripts into WordPress pages and posts.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's failure to properly sanitize and escape shortcode attributes before incorporating them into HTML output. When administrators or users with contributor-level privileges and above embed the plugin's shortcode within posts or pages, the system does not adequately validate the input parameters. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads within shortcode attributes that get executed when the page containing the shortcode is rendered in a user's browser. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's shortcode processing functionality, where user-supplied data flows directly into the HTML output without proper sanitization measures.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to WordPress sites utilizing the affected plugin. Attackers with contributor roles or higher can leverage this flaw to execute persistent XSS attacks, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or the execution of malicious code on victim browsers. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious scripts are saved within the WordPress database and will execute every time the affected page is loaded, making it particularly dangerous for sites with high traffic or those containing sensitive user information. This vulnerability undermines the security model of WordPress by allowing lower-privileged users to potentially compromise the entire site through persistent script injection.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as a result of insufficient input validation and output escaping. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a technique for code injection and privilege escalation, specifically falling under T1546.001 for Registry Run Keys/Startup Folder and potentially T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter. The attack chain typically involves an attacker with contributor privileges creating a malicious shortcode with embedded JavaScript, which then executes in the browser of any user viewing the affected content. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable further attacks including data exfiltration, cookie theft, and potential lateral movement within the compromised WordPress environment.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching to version 1.13.42 or later, which addresses the validation and escaping issues in the plugin's shortcode implementation. Administrators should also implement additional security measures including role-based access controls to limit who can add or modify content, regular security audits of installed plugins, and monitoring for suspicious shortcode usage. Input validation should be strengthened to ensure all user-supplied attributes are properly sanitized before being processed, and output escaping should be enforced to prevent malicious code from being rendered as executable HTML. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies to further mitigate the impact of potential XSS attacks, and conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other plugins or themes that may be present in their WordPress installations.