A recently discovered security vulnerability known as CVE-2022-44576 affects the popular AgentEasy Properties plugin for WordPress, used by many real estate websites to showcase their properties. This vulnerability is classified as an Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability, which could allow attackers to execute malicious scripts on the affected websites.

In this long-read post, we'll dive into the vulnerability details, provide code snippets highlighting the issue, explain the potential impact on affected websites, and offer remediation steps that you can follow to protect your WordPress installation against this security issue.

Vulnerability Details

The AgentEasy Properties plugin (version 1..4 and earlier) is affected by a stored XSS vulnerability, which can be exploited by authenticated users with administrative or higher access levels. The issue stems from the lack of proper validation and sanitization of user input when inserting the affected data into the database, which can lead to malicious script execution when the data is rendered by the browser.

The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker who is logged in as an administrator or a user with higher permissions. Once the attacker injects a malicious payload using the vulnerable input field, any other administrator who subsequently views the affected page will have the malicious script executed in their browser.

Here's a code snippet showcasing the vulnerability

// File: agenteasy-properties-plugin.php
// Function handling the agent's input form:

function agenteasy_update_agent($agent) {
    global $wpdb;
    
    // Data input by the agent without proper validation or sanitization:
    $payload = $_POST['name'];
    
    // Inserting the payload into the database:
    $wpdb->update($wpdb->prefix . 'agenteasy_agents',
        array('name' => $payload),
        array('ID' => $agent->ID),
        array('%s'),
        array('%d')
    );
}

In this example, we see that the user input stored in the '$_POST['name']' variable is not validated or sanitized, allowing attackers to inject a malicious script that will then be executed within the context of the affected page.

Exploit Scenario

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker with administrator or higher-level access could create a new agent and inject a malicious script in the agent's name field. This might look like:

<script>alert("XSS!");</script>

As a result, any other administrator user who subsequently views the page with the agent name will have the malicious script executed in their browser, potentially compromising their session or allowing the attacker to gain control over their account.

Original References

The vulnerability was originally discovered by security researchers, and a dedicated page detailing the CVE-2022-44576 vulnerability can be found at:

- CVE Details: https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2022-44576/
- National Vulnerability Database (NVD): https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-44576

To protect your WordPress installation against this vulnerability, follow these steps

1. Update the AgentEasy Properties plugin to the latest version. The plugin developers have been notified about the vulnerability, and they are working on a fix. Once a new version is available, update your plugin immediately.

2. Review your WordPress user accounts and ensure that all users, especially those with administrative permissions, are authorized and trustworthy.

3. Consider using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or additional security plugins that can help identify and block XSS attacks.

Conclusion

By keeping your WordPress environment updated and following best practices in website security, you can help protect your website against XSS vulnerabilities like CVE-2022-44576. Updating plugins, monitoring user access, and deploying additional security measures are essential steps in maintaining a secure website.

Remember to always stay vigilant against security threats, and keep an eye on updates and patches released by plugin developers and the WordPress core team.

Timeline

Published on: 11/02/2022 22:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/04/2022 01:52:00 UTC