CVE-2023-25027 in Chained Quiz Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/07/2023
Auth. (admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Kiboko Labs Chained Quiz plugin <= 1.3.2.5 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/24/2023
The CVE-2023-25027 vulnerability represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within the Kiboko Labs Chained Quiz plugin for WordPress systems. This security weakness specifically affects versions up to and including 1.3.2.5, creating a significant risk for administrators and privileged users who interact with the quiz management interface. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied content before storing and rendering it within the web application's interface. This allows authenticated users with administrator privileges or higher to inject malicious scripts that persist in the database and execute whenever other users view the affected content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of quiz question parameters, answer fields, or other user-editable content within the plugin's administrative dashboard. When administrators or privileged users create or modify quiz elements, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize the input data, permitting malicious script payloads to be stored in the WordPress database. These stored scripts then execute in the context of other users' browsers when they access quiz-related pages, potentially enabling attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of weak input validation and improper output encoding, which aligns with CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, commonly known as Cross-Site Scripting.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to the security posture of WordPress installations utilizing the Chained Quiz plugin. Administrators who have elevated privileges are particularly at risk since they can inject scripts that may execute with their full administrative privileges. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payloads persist indefinitely until manually removed, creating a long-term attack vector that can be exploited by threat actors over extended periods. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to establish persistent backdoors, conduct session hijacking attacks, or redirect users to malicious domains. The attack surface expands significantly since any user with access to the quiz management functionality can potentially exploit this weakness, making it a critical concern for organizations that rely on the plugin for educational or assessment purposes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-25027 should prioritize immediate remediation through the upgrade of the Chained Quiz plugin to version 1.3.2.6 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the stored XSS vulnerability. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation at multiple layers, output encoding of all dynamic content, and regular security auditing of plugin installations. Network segmentation and monitoring of suspicious activities related to quiz management functions can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would place it within the T1566.001 technique category, specifically targeting credential access through malicious input. Regular security assessments and maintaining updated security patches form the cornerstone of defense against such vulnerabilities, as they prevent exploitation of known weaknesses in third-party components. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to add additional layers of protection against XSS attacks.