CVE-2023-35095 in Flo Forms Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/20/2023
Auth. (admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Flothemes Flo Forms – Easy Drag & Drop Form Builder plugin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2023
The CVE-2023-35095 vulnerability represents a stored cross-site scripting flaw within the Flothemes Flo Forms plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting administrative users with privileges equal to or greater than administrator level. This security weakness resides in the form builder component that allows users to create drag-and-drop forms through the WordPress administration interface. The vulnerability manifests when administrators input malicious script code into form fields or related configuration parameters that are then stored within the WordPress database and subsequently executed whenever the affected forms are rendered or displayed in the admin dashboard or frontend contexts. The flaw directly impacts the plugin's handling of user-supplied input without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by authenticated attackers who have administrative access or higher privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the Flo Forms plugin's backend processing logic. When administrators create or modify forms through the graphical interface, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize data entered into form fields, particularly those that might contain HTML or JavaScript content. This inadequate sanitization occurs during the data persistence phase where user input is stored in the database without proper context-aware encoding. The stored malicious payloads can include various forms of script code such as javascript:alert(1) or more sophisticated payload variants that leverage modern browser vulnerabilities. The vulnerability is classified as a stored XSS because the malicious code is permanently stored within the application's database and executed each time the affected page or form elements are accessed, rather than requiring a single request with malicious input.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-35095 extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with persistent access to administrative functions within the WordPress environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could execute arbitrary code within the context of the administrator's browser session, potentially leading to complete system compromise through session hijacking, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious code remains active even after the initial exploitation, allowing for continuous monitoring of administrator activities or persistent backdoor access. This vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in environments where WordPress admin interfaces are accessed from shared or public computers, as it enables attackers to capture session cookies or other sensitive authentication tokens. The impact is further amplified when considering that this vulnerability affects a form builder plugin, which may be used to collect sensitive user information, making the stored XSS attack vector potentially more damaging as it can target both administrative functions and user data collection processes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-35095 should include immediate plugin updates from Flothemes to address the identified XSS vulnerability, as well as comprehensive input validation and output encoding implementations within the WordPress environment. Organizations should implement proper access controls and privilege separation to limit the scope of potential exploitation, ensuring that administrative privileges are not granted to untrusted users. Network-based security controls such as web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block known XSS attack patterns, while regular security audits should verify that all user-supplied input is properly sanitized before database storage. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution and T1566 for credential access through malicious content delivery. Regular security monitoring should include checking for unauthorized modifications to form configurations and monitoring for unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation of stored XSS vulnerabilities. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection against script execution even if the primary sanitization fails.