CVE-2023-2302 in Contact Form and Calls to Action Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/03/2023
The Contact Form and Calls To Action by vcita plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'email' parameter in versions up to, and including, 2.6.4 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with the edit_posts capability, such as contributors and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/29/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-2302 affects the Contact Form and Calls To Action by vcita plugin for WordPress, representing a critical stored cross-site scripting weakness that poses significant security risks to affected websites. This flaw exists in plugin versions up to and including 2.6.4, making it particularly concerning given the widespread adoption of WordPress as a content management platform. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's handling of the 'email' parameter, creating an exploitable vector that can be leveraged by authenticated attackers who possess the edit_posts capability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers with contributor-level privileges or higher to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's email handling functionality. When an administrator or other user views pages containing the injected script, the malicious code executes in their browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This stored XSS vulnerability operates through the manipulation of the 'email' parameter, which is processed without proper sanitization before being rendered on web pages, enabling persistent script injection that can affect multiple users over time.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be exploited to compromise user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. Attackers can craft malicious email inputs that, when processed by the vulnerable plugin, will execute in the browser of any user who views the affected content. This creates a persistent threat that can remain active until the malicious code is removed from the database or the plugin is updated, potentially affecting numerous website visitors over extended periods. The vulnerability particularly impacts websites where contributors or other lower-level users have edit_posts capabilities, as these roles typically have access to content management features that can be abused for such attacks.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately update to the latest version of the Contact Form and Calls To Action by vcita plugin to remediate the stored XSS flaw. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious activity related to the plugin's email handling functionality, and access controls should be reviewed to limit the capabilities of users who do not require full editing privileges. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a typical example of how insufficient input validation can create persistent security threats in web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a form of code injection that can be used to establish persistent access and exfiltrate sensitive information from compromised WordPress installations.