CVE-2023-6978 in WP Job Manager Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/04/2024
The WP Job Manager – Company Profiles plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the 'company' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 1.7 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute if they can successfully trick a user into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2025
The WP Job Manager – Company Profiles plugin for WordPress represents a widely used tool for managing job listings and company information within WordPress environments. This plugin facilitates the creation and display of company profiles associated with job postings, making it an integral component of many job board websites. However, the vulnerability identified in versions up to and including 1.7 creates a significant security risk that affects the overall integrity of WordPress installations using this plugin. The vulnerability specifically targets the handling of user input through the 'company' parameter, which is processed without adequate sanitization measures.
The technical flaw manifests as a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that occurs when the plugin fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into web page responses. When an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing crafted script code within the 'company' parameter, and this input is reflected back to the user's browser without proper output escaping, the embedded scripts execute in the context of the victim's session. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the web application's ability to properly validate and sanitize incoming data. The issue aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities resulting from insufficient output escaping and improper input validation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates a vector for more sophisticated attacks that could compromise user sessions and potentially lead to unauthorized access. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious links that, when clicked by unsuspecting users, would execute arbitrary scripts in their browsers. The attack requires social engineering to trick users into clicking the malicious links, but once executed, the scripts can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of the user. This vulnerability affects all users of the plugin regardless of their authentication status, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with the job board.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates to versions that address the input sanitization and output escaping deficiencies. Administrators should also implement additional defensive measures such as input validation at multiple layers, implementing content security policies to limit script execution, and conducting regular security audits of WordPress plugins. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output escaping as fundamental security practices that align with the ATT&CK framework's defense evasion techniques. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious parameter values, and conduct regular penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in their WordPress installations. Regular monitoring of plugin repositories and security advisories remains essential for maintaining the security posture of WordPress environments that rely on third-party plugins for core functionality.