CVE-2023-25063 in Quick Page Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/08/2023
Auth. (admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Anadnet Quick Page/Post Redirect Plugin plugin <= 5.2.3 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2023
The CVE-2023-25063 vulnerability represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within the Anadnet Quick Page/Post Redirect Plugin, affecting versions up to and including 5.2.3. This vulnerability specifically targets administrative users with elevated privileges, making it particularly dangerous in environments where plugin administrators have significant control over website functionality. The flaw resides in how the plugin processes and stores user input, creating a persistent XSS vector that can compromise the administrative interface and potentially lead to full system takeover. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic weakness in input validation and output encoding practices, where unfiltered user-supplied data is directly stored in the database and subsequently rendered without proper sanitization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user inputs within the plugin's administrative dashboard. When administrators or users with sufficient privileges create or modify redirects, the plugin fails to properly escape or filter special characters in the input fields. This allows malicious actors to inject malicious scripts that persist in the database and execute whenever the affected pages are loaded. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload remains active even after the initial injection, making it particularly insidious as it can affect multiple users over extended periods. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a classic cross-site scripting weakness, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS attack that violates fundamental web security principles.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-25063 extends far beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with elevated privileges within the WordPress environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can manipulate redirect configurations to redirect users to malicious domains, steal administrative session cookies, or inject additional malicious code that could lead to complete compromise of the WordPress installation. The attack vector requires only administrative access to the plugin's interface, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where privilege escalation is possible. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as the stored script execution enables persistent malicious command execution within the target environment. The impact is amplified when considering that WordPress administrators often have broad access to site data, making this a potential gateway for data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or further network compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-25063 should prioritize immediate plugin version updates to versions that address the stored XSS vulnerability, as the vendor has likely released patches to correct the input sanitization issues. Administrators should implement strict input validation and output encoding practices within the plugin's configuration, ensuring all user-supplied data undergoes proper sanitization before database storage. Network segmentation and privilege separation can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation by restricting administrative access to only necessary personnel. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious redirect modifications and anomalous administrative activities within the plugin's interface. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security audits and the principle of least privilege, where administrative access should be granted only to trusted individuals who require such privileges for legitimate operations. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against XSS attacks by restricting script execution sources and preventing unauthorized code injection.