Overview
A critical vulnerability has been discovered in the popular SEO Slider plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.1.. This vulnerability, designated as CVE-2023-5707, allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level and above permissions to inject arbitrary web scripts into webpages. When unsuspecting users access these injected webpages, the malicious scripts execute, potentially compromising sensitive data and taking over websites.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability lies in the plugin's 'slider' shortcode and post meta, which are both susceptible to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied attributes.
Stored XSS is a type of security vulnerability where malicious scripts are permanently stored on the targeted server. When a victim accesses a compromised page, the injected scripts are executed on their browser, leading to a range of attacks, such as stealing session cookies, defacing the affected website, or redirecting the user to malicious websites.
Here's an example of how this vulnerability could be exploited
1. The attacker, a contributor-level user in the WordPress website, creates a new post with the [slider] shortcode containing the malicious script:
[slider id="1" autoplay="true" onslide="console.log('XSS payload'); alert('Hacked!');"]
The onslide attribute is expected to hold a valid JavaScript event handler, but the input is not sanitized properly, allowing for the malicious script injection.
2. The injected script is stored within the website's content, and when a victim accesses the compromised page, the malicious script runs on their browser.
Mitigation
Until an official update is released by the plugin's developers, you can apply the following measures to mitigate the threat:
Disable or uninstall the SEO Slider plugin on your WordPress website.
2. Regularly check for updates on the plugin's official repository or website to download and install any security patches.
For more details on this vulnerability, you can refer to the following resources
1. CVE-2023-5707 Official Database Entry
2. SEO Slider WordPress Plugin - Vulnerability Disclosure
Conclusion
In conclusion, it's critically important to regularly update your WordPress plugins and themes to protect your website from vulnerabilities such as CVE-2023-5707. By staying informed about potential security risks and taking quick action when a vulnerability is discovered, you can safeguard your website against potential attacks better.
Timeline
Published on: 11/03/2023 13:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 11/13/2023 19:20:12 UTC