CVE-2023-0824 in UserPlus Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/16/2024
The User registration & user profile WordPress plugin through 2.0 does not have CSRF check in some places, and is missing sanitisation as well as escaping, which could allow attackers to make logged-in admin add Stored XSS payloads via a CSRF attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2026
The vulnerability identified in the User registration & user profile WordPress plugin version 2.0 represents a critical security flaw that combines multiple dangerous conditions to enable sophisticated cross-site scripting attacks. This plugin, which facilitates user registration and profile management within WordPress environments, contains insufficient cross-site request forgery protection mechanisms that leave administrators vulnerable to manipulation. The absence of proper CSRF validation creates a pathway for attackers to exploit authenticated sessions and inject malicious payloads into the system. The vulnerability extends beyond simple CSRF by incorporating inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms, which together create a perfect storm for stored cross-site scripting exploitation.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the plugin's failure to properly validate and sanitize user inputs across multiple administrative endpoints. When attackers craft malicious requests that leverage CSRF vulnerabilities, they can manipulate the plugin's registration and profile management functions to store XSS payloads directly within the WordPress database. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious code persists and executes whenever affected pages are accessed by legitimate users, including administrators. The missing sanitization processes fail to properly filter or encode potentially dangerous characters and script tags that could be embedded within user profile data or registration fields. Without adequate escaping mechanisms, any stored content that gets rendered in web pages becomes immediately executable, creating a persistent threat vector that can compromise entire administrative sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data corruption or display issues. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of administrators' browsers, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The stored XSS payloads could be used to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify administrative interfaces, or even inject backdoors into the WordPress installation. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in WordPress environments where administrators often have extensive privileges and access to sensitive system configurations, user data, and content management capabilities. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat that can affect multiple users over time, as the stored payloads remain active until manually removed from the database.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive CSRF protection measures across all plugin endpoints that handle user profile modifications or registration data. The plugin must incorporate proper CSRF token validation mechanisms that verify the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate users. Input sanitization processes need to be strengthened to filter out potentially dangerous content including script tags, event handlers, and other malicious constructs before data is stored in the database. Output escaping mechanisms must be implemented to ensure that any stored content is properly encoded when rendered in web pages, preventing script execution. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious patterns associated with CSRF attacks and XSS attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352 for cross-site request forgery and CWE-79 for cross-site scripting, while also mapping to ATT&CK techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation through web application exploitation. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other WordPress plugins and ensure comprehensive protection against such sophisticated attack vectors.