CVE-2023-25713 in Fullworks Quick Paypal Payments Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/07/2023
Unauth. Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Fullworks Quick Paypal Payments plugin <= 5.7.25 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/24/2023
The CVE-2023-25713 vulnerability represents a critical unauthenticated stored cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Fullworks Quick Paypal Payments WordPress plugin affecting versions up to and including 5.7.25. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's handling of user input data, specifically in the payment processing and order management components where user-supplied information is stored and subsequently rendered without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's database storage, which are then executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected pages. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and sanitization of input parameters that are processed through the plugin's administrative interfaces and payment confirmation workflows.
This stored XSS vulnerability operates by exploiting the plugin's failure to properly escape or encode user-controllable data before it is persisted in the WordPress database and later displayed to authenticated users. When customers or administrators interact with the plugin's payment processing features, their input data including order details, customer information, and payment metadata are stored without sufficient security measures. The malicious scripts injected through this vulnerability can execute in the victim's browser context with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it does not require authentication to exploit, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can submit data through the plugin's legitimate interfaces.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-25713 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including but not limited to session manipulation, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the affected WordPress environment. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that redirect victims to phishing sites, steal cookies and session tokens, or inject additional malicious code that persists across multiple user sessions. The vulnerability affects the entire WordPress ecosystem where the plugin is installed, potentially compromising multiple sites if the plugin is widely deployed. Given that this is a stored XSS vulnerability, the malicious scripts remain persistent in the database until manually removed, creating a long-term security risk that can affect numerous users over extended periods. The attack surface includes not only customer-facing pages but also administrative interfaces where the plugin's settings and order management features are accessible.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-25713 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that have addressed the vulnerability, as the developers have released patches to resolve the stored XSS issue. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within their WordPress environments, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before storage and rendering. Network monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect suspicious script injection patterns in web traffic, particularly focusing on unusual data submissions to payment processing endpoints. Security headers including Content Security Policy should be implemented to limit script execution capabilities in browser contexts where the vulnerability exists. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content, highlighting the importance of comprehensive web application security controls. Additionally, regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other third-party components within the web application stack.