CVE-2023-36384 in CodePeople Booking Calendar Contact Form Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/18/2023
Unauth. Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in CodePeople Booking Calendar Contact Form plugin <= 1.2.40 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2023
The CVE-2023-36384 vulnerability represents a critical unauthenticated reflected cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the CodePeople Booking Calendar Contact Form WordPress plugin. This vulnerability affects versions up to and including 1.2.40, making it a significant concern for WordPress site administrators who have not yet updated their installations. The flaw resides in how the plugin handles user input through contact form parameters, specifically in the way it processes and reflects data back to users without proper sanitization or output encoding. This vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, potentially compromising their sessions or redirecting them to malicious sites.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the plugin's codebase. When users submit data through the booking calendar contact form, the plugin fails to properly sanitize the input parameters before incorporating them into the HTML response. This reflected nature means that the malicious payload must be crafted to appear in the URL or form parameters and then reflected back to the victim's browser without proper escaping. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of contact form data, where user-supplied information flows directly into the page output without adequate security measures. According to CWE-79, this represents a classic cross-site scripting weakness where the application does not properly validate or escape user-controllable data before including it in dynamically generated web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can be exploited to perform various malicious activities against unsuspecting users. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when clicked by victims, execute in their browser context. This could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of the booking calendar interface, or redirection to phishing sites. The unauthenticated nature of the vulnerability means that no login credentials are required to exploit it, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by anyone who can access the affected website. The potential for widespread impact increases when considering that WordPress plugins often serve as entry points for more sophisticated attacks, and the booking calendar functionality could be targeted to disrupt business operations or collect sensitive user information.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by updating to the latest version of the CodePeople Booking Calendar Contact Form plugin where the issue has been addressed. The fix typically involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious scripts from being executed in the browser context. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security measures such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious script patterns in real-time. According to ATT&CK framework tactic TA0001, this vulnerability falls under the initial access category where attackers can establish footholds through web-based exploits. The vulnerability also relates to TA0002, privilege escalation, as successful exploitation could potentially lead to further compromise of the WordPress installation. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of their WordPress installations to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins or themes, as reflected XSS flaws often occur in multiple components of web applications. The remediation process should include not only updating the vulnerable plugin but also implementing proper security monitoring and input validation practices across all web applications to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.