CVE-2023-46077 in Custom Feed Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2023
Unauth. Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Arrow Plugins The Awesome Feed – Custom Feed plugin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2023
The CVE-2023-46077 vulnerability represents an unauthorized reflected cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the Arrow Plugins The Awesome Feed - Custom Feed WordPress plugin. This security weakness resides within the plugin's handling of user-supplied input parameters that are reflected back to users without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's ability to process and display data from external sources, creating an attack vector where malicious actors can inject arbitrary JavaScript code through crafted input fields.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the plugin fails to adequately validate and sanitize user input before rendering it within the web page context. When a user visits a page that processes the vulnerable parameter, the malicious script gets executed in the victim's browser context, potentially allowing attackers to perform actions on behalf of the user. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which covers the use of malicious scripts to manipulate web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive cookies, perform unauthorized actions, or redirect users to malicious websites. Given that the affected plugin is designed to display custom feeds from external sources, the attack surface increases significantly as users may inadvertently encounter malicious content while browsing feeds. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload must be crafted specifically for each attack instance, typically delivered through phishing emails or compromised websites that direct users to malicious URLs containing the exploit.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-46077 should include immediate patching of the vulnerable plugin version, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and establishing content security policies to prevent unauthorized script execution. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, while monitoring for exploitation attempts through security information and event management systems. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input sanitization in web applications and highlights the need for regular security assessments of third-party plugins, particularly those handling external data feeds. Additionally, administrators should enforce principle of least privilege when configuring plugin settings and regularly update all WordPress components to ensure protection against known vulnerabilities.