In today's increasingly digital world, online commerce platforms are becoming more and more important. These platforms often rely on third-party plugins to add new functionality, like integration with popular social media platforms. One such plugin, the SAHU TikTok Pixel for E-Commerce, has recently been found to have a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting versions <= 1.2.2. The CVE-2023-46642 vulnerability was identified by researchers, and this post will dive into the details of the exploit, how it works, and how you can protect your website from it.

Exploit Details

The CVE-2023-46642 vulnerability revolves around an authentication bypass, specifically targeting the "admin+" privileged user group. This Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious code into the plugin's settings page, compromising its security and potentially affecting users of the corresponding E-Commerce platform.

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to send a specially crafted request to the vulnerable plugin using a specific parameter. When processed by the plugin, this request bypasses the authentication mechanism and, as part of the payload, delivers the malicious code. Once executed, this code may enable the attacker to manipulate data, steal sensitive information, or even gain complete control over the affected website.

Below is an example of the code used to exploit the CVE-2023-46642 vulnerability

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: victim-site.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

action=stt4to_settings&stt4to_input_Test=<script>alert('XSS')</script>&submit=Save+Changes

In this code snippet, the action=stt4to_settings is used alongside the malicious payload in the stt4to_input_Test parameter. The POST request bypasses the authentication mechanism, and upon processing, the malicious script (<script>alert('XSS')</script>) is executed.

Original References

The issue of the SAHU TikTok Pixel for E-Commerce plugin was initially discovered by researchers, and the vulnerability was reported to the plugin's developer. The official security advisory for this issue can be found at the following link:
- Security Advisory - CVE-2023-46642 - SAHU TikTok Pixel for E-Commerce Vulnerability

For more information about Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in general, these resources provide excellent background and guidelines on how to prevent them:
- OWASP: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- Mozilla Developer Network: XSS

Mitigation and Prevention

To protect your website from this vulnerability, it is crucial that you update the SAHU TikTok Pixel for E-Commerce plugin to the latest version, which contains the necessary patches to address this issue. As a general security measure, you should always keep all software and plugins updated, ensuring that you benefit from the latest security patches and improvements.

In addition to keeping software updated, administrators should also follow best practices for website security. This includes setting up proper access control and limiting the use of administrator or "admin+" accounts to trusted individuals.

Conclusion

The CVE-2023-46642 vulnerability in the SAHU TikTok Pixel for E-Commerce plugin <= 1.2.2 poses significant risks to any website utilizing the plugin. By bypassing authentication mechanisms and exploiting Stored XSS vulnerabilities, an attacker can potentially gain control over a victim's e-commerce platform and steal sensitive user information. To protect your website and its users, be sure to update the plugin to its latest version and follow general security best practices.

Timeline

Published on: 11/08/2023 17:15:07 UTC
Last modified on: 11/15/2023 18:45:53 UTC