CVE-2023-4620 in Booking Calendar Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
The Booking Calendar WordPress plugin before 9.7.3.1 does not sanitize and escape some of its booking from data, allowing unauthenticated users to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks against administrators
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4620 affects the Booking Calendar WordPress plugin version 9.7.3.1 and earlier, presenting a critical security risk through stored cross-site scripting flaws. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's booking form processing functionality. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into the booking data that persist in the database and execute when administrators view the booking records, creating a persistent threat vector that can compromise administrative sessions and potentially lead to full system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's failure to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied data entered through the booking form interface. When users submit booking information, the plugin processes these inputs without adequate sanitization measures, particularly affecting fields that may contain HTML or JavaScript content. This lack of proper input validation creates an environment where malicious actors can embed XSS payloads that remain stored within the database until retrieved by administrators. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's handling of booking form data, where user inputs are directly stored without proper escaping before being rendered back to administrators, creating the classic stored XSS attack vector.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-4620 extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with a persistent foothold within the WordPress environment through administrator compromise. When administrators view booking records containing the malicious scripts, the injected code executes in their browser context, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting to malicious sites, or performing actions on behalf of the administrator. This stored XSS vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of the booking system. The attack requires no authentication from the malicious actor, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by anyone with access to the booking form interface.
Organizations running affected versions of the Booking Calendar plugin should immediately update to version 9.7.3.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability. The update addresses the core sanitization issues by implementing proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms throughout the booking form processing pipeline. Security measures should also include monitoring for suspicious booking submissions and implementing web application firewalls to detect and block potential XSS payloads. From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content, and T1059.001 for command and control through script execution. Organizations should also conduct thorough security audits of all WordPress plugins to identify similar sanitization issues that could create similar attack vectors within their web applications.