CVE-2023-25020 in Arigato Newsletter Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/07/2023
Unauth. Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Kiboko Labs Arigato Autoresponder and Newsletter plugin <= 2.7.1.1 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2023-25020 represents an unauthorized stored cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Kiboko Labs Arigato Autoresponder and Newsletter plugin version 2.7.1.1 and earlier. This issue resides within a WordPress plugin ecosystem where user input is improperly sanitized before being stored and subsequently rendered in web pages without adequate output encoding. The vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious scripts that persist in the application's database and execute whenever affected pages are accessed by other users, including administrators with elevated privileges. The flaw stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied data within the plugin's newsletter subscription or autoresponder functionality, creating a persistent security weakness that can be exploited across multiple user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which defines cross-site scripting as a weakness occurring when an application includes untrusted data in a new web page without proper validation or escaping, or updates an existing web page with user-supplied data without proper sanitization. The attack vector specifically targets the plugin's handling of form submissions or configuration parameters that are stored in the WordPress database. When legitimate users view pages containing the stored malicious payload, their browsers execute the injected scripts within the context of their current session, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised system. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers without prior access credentials.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-25020 extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with persistent access to compromised systems through the newsletter plugin interface. An attacker could inject malicious scripts that redirect users to phishing sites, steal cookies and session tokens, or even deploy additional malware payloads. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious code remains active until manually removed from the database, potentially affecting all users who interact with the compromised plugin functionality. This persistent threat can be particularly devastating in environments where administrators rely on the newsletter plugin for legitimate business operations, as the vulnerability may remain undetected for extended periods while attackers maintain access to sensitive user data and system resources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-25020 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 2.7.1.2 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement input validation and output encoding measures at the application level to prevent similar issues in other components. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by restricting plugin permissions and regularly auditing user access to newsletter functionality. Security monitoring should include scanning for malicious payloads in database entries and implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injections. Additionally, regular security assessments of WordPress plugins and themes should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by threat actors, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which involves the use of malicious code injection techniques to compromise web applications.