CVE-2023-6005 in EventON Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/16/2024
The EventON WordPress plugin before 4.5.5, EventON WordPress plugin before 2.2.7 does not sanitize and escape some of its settings, which could allow high privilege users such as admin to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed (for example in multisite setup).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2024
The CVE-2023-6005 vulnerability affects the EventON WordPress plugin, specifically versions prior to 4.5.5 and 2.2.7 respectively, presenting a critical stored cross-site scripting risk that undermines web application security. This flaw resides in the plugin's insufficient sanitization and escaping mechanisms for user-controllable settings, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject persistent malicious scripts into the application's data storage. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets high-privilege users such as administrators, who typically possess elevated capabilities within the WordPress ecosystem. Even when the unfiltered_html capability is restricted - a common security practice in multisite configurations where administrators cannot directly input raw HTML - the flaw still permits exploitation through the plugin's settings interface.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of plugin configuration parameters that are not properly sanitized before being stored in the database and subsequently rendered in the user interface. When administrators access the plugin settings or view pages containing the stored malicious payloads, the scripts execute within the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration. This stored XSS vulnerability operates through the principle of data persistence where malicious code is injected once and then executed repeatedly whenever affected pages are accessed, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with the application. The flaw represents a direct violation of the OWASP Top Ten category A03:2021 - Injection and specifically aligns with CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-6005 extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable sophisticated attack chains within WordPress environments. An attacker who gains administrative access through this vulnerability could potentially compromise entire multisite installations, manipulate event data, or establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in shared hosting environments or managed WordPress installations where administrators might be unaware of the compromised plugin's existence. The exploitability is heightened in multisite configurations where the unfiltered_html capability restriction is implemented as a security control, yet the vulnerability bypasses this protection mechanism entirely. This creates a scenario where security measures designed to prevent XSS attacks are rendered ineffective against the specific flaw in the EventON plugin.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-6005 require immediate plugin updates to versions 4.5.5 or 2.2.7 where the sanitization issues have been addressed. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of their WordPress installations to identify any other plugins or themes that might be vulnerable to similar sanitization flaws. The remediation process should include thorough input validation and output escaping mechanisms throughout the application, following the principle of least privilege where administrative capabilities are strictly limited. Security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, including unusual plugin configuration changes or unexpected script executions. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to add defense-in-depth measures against XSS attacks, though these protections alone cannot compensate for the underlying sanitization failures in the plugin code. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output escaping as fundamental security controls that must be implemented consistently across all web application components.