The Newspaper WordPress theme is one of the most used and praised news-style templates, employed by thousands of blogs and online magazines. However, in June 2022, a security vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-2627 was discovered in versions before v12. It allows attackers to exploit a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw via an unauthenticated AJAX action.
In this post, we’ll break down this vulnerability in simple language, demonstrate how the exploit works, explore its real risk, and provide mitigation advice—all with clear code snippets and references.
What Is CVE-2022-2627?
CVE-2022-2627 is a Reflected XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) vulnerability present in the Newspaper theme (versions older than 12). The flaw exists because a parameter from an AJAX request isn't sanitized before it gets output inside an HTML attribute. This lets an attacker inject malicious JavaScript code, which executes in the context of a logged-in (or vulnerable) user’s browser.
How the Vulnerability Works
The vulnerable endpoint processes an AJAX request and echoes untrusted data into an HTML attribute. If the input contains JavaScript code, it is reflected back to the browser and executed. Malicious attackers can craft special URLs to exploit this.
Example Vulnerable Code
// This is not the exact code, but represents the typical pattern:
add_action('wp_ajax_my_action', 'my_ajax_handler');
add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_my_action', 'my_ajax_handler');
function my_ajax_handler() {
$user_input = $_POST['my_param'];
// Mistake: No escaping or sanitization
echo '<input type="text" value="' . $user_input . '" />';
wp_die();
}
*Insecure: The 'my_param' parameter goes straight to the HTML without cleaning! This can lead to XSS.*
Crafted request or URL
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=my_action&my_param=" autofocus onfocus="alert('XSS')
`html
- When the input field gets focused, the malicious JavaScript (alert('XSS')) runs in the victim’s browser.
---
## Step-By-Step Exploit
Let’s see this in practice.
### 1. Find the AJAX Action
The Newspaper theme defines multiple AJAX actions. In this case, one expects user-provided data as a parameter.
Common endpoint:
/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=td_ajax_search&td_string=[user_input]
### 2. Craft Your Payload
Let’s try a basic XSS test:
/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=td_ajax_search&td_string=" autofocus onfocus="alert('XSS')
### 3. Send the Request
You can do this in your browser or via a tool like curl:
### 4. Victim Visits the Link
When a logged-in admin (or any authenticated user) visits this link, the JavaScript executes in their session.
---
## Video PoC and References
Unfortunately, due to the theme’s proprietary nature, a public PoC is not always directly available, but the following references discuss the vulnerability:
- Wordfence Security Advisory
- WPScan Vulnerability Database
- NVD - CVE-2022-2627
---
## Why Is This Dangerous?
- Session Hijacking: If an admin gets hit, attackers could potentially take over the site.
- Defacement & Data Theft: Malicious scripts could change site content or steal sensitive info.
- Phishing: Users could be directed to fake login forms.
Note: Since this is reflected XSS (not stored), users must be tricked into clicking a link or visiting a malicious site. Therefore, it may be considered medium risk but is *extremely* dangerous if successfully exploited against administrators.
---
## How to Protect Your Site
1. Update Immediately: Upgrade the Newspaper theme to version 12 or higher, where the vulnerability is patched.
2. Apply Web Application Firewall (WAF): Use plugins like Wordfence to block malicious requests.
3. Sanitize and Escape: Always sanitize user input and escape output in custom AJAX handlers.
Example fix (using WordPress sanitization):
php
$user_input = isset($_POST['my_param']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['my_param']) : '';
echo '';
Final Thoughts
CVE-2022-2627 is a good reminder that even popular themes are not immune to simple, yet serious, security flaws. Reflected XSS can threaten your users and your brand. Always keep plugins and themes up to date, and be wary of how user input is handled.
References
- Wordfence CVE-2022-2627 Advisory
- NVD Entry for CVE-2022-2627
- WPScan Details
Timeline
Published on: 10/31/2022 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/01/2022 14:02:00 UTC