CVE-2023-7167: Persian Fonts WordPress Plugin XSS Vulnerability through 1.6

Today, we are diving deep into another security vulnerability present in popular WordPress plugins, specifically the Persian Fonts WordPress Plugin. In this long-read post, we will explore CVE-2023-7167, a concerning vulnerability that could potentially allow high privilege users, such as admins, to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed. This is particularly worrisome for multisite setups where administrators trust other users with elevated privileges, but not full control. Are you ready to dive in? Let's go!

Plugin Overview

The Persian Fonts WordPress plugin is a widely used plugin designed to add Persian fonts to WordPress installations with ease. It allows users to switch between different Persian fonts without any hassle, providing a high level of customization for both users and developers. However, the plugin contains a significant security vulnerability that could expose your WordPress installation and its users to significant risk.

Vulnerability Details (CVE-2023-7167)

The CVE-2023-7167 is a vulnerability present in the Persian Fonts WordPress plugin through version 1.6. This vulnerability results from the plugin, not sanitizing and escaping some of its settings properly. As a result, high privilege users like administrators can exploit this weakness to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. These attacks could lead to unauthorized access, information leakage, and potentially even damage to your WordPress installation or database.

Exploit Example

To better understand this vulnerability, let's take a look at a code snippet from the plugin, which highlights the failure to sanitize and escape settings:

// Incorrect handling of the 'pf_body_font' setting input
$pf_body_font = $_POST['pf_body_font'];
update_option('pf_body_font', $pf_body_font);

In this example, we can see that the plugin retrieves the 'pf_body_font' setting from the POST request and then directly updates the option within WordPress. At no point does the code sanitize or escape the user input, leaving open the potential for attack.

The following script is an example of how this vulnerability could be exploited

<script>alert('XSS vulnerability exploited')</script>

An attacker only needs to insert this malicious script into the 'pf_body_font' setting to execute the XSS attack on anyone viewing a page with that font selection.

Mitigation and References

To ensure your website remains secure, it is essential to keep WordPress and all plugins up-to-date. The developers of the Persian Fonts WordPress Plugin have released version 1.7, which includes a fix for this vulnerability. You can download and update to the patched version of the plugin from the following link:

- Persian Fonts WordPress Plugin - Fixed Version 1.7

The developers have also provided a detailed security bulletin regarding this issue, which you can find here:

- Persian Fonts WordPress Plugin Security Bulletin

As always, consider implementing additional security measures such as regularly scanning your WordPress installation with a reputable security plugin, utilizing strong authentication methods, and frequently monitoring user access logs.

Conclusion:

CVE-2023-7167 presents a critical security vulnerability within the Persian Fonts WordPress Plugin, potentially exposing countless websites and their users to significant risk. Ensuring your WordPress installation remains up-to-date and patched, and following best practices for site security will help protect your sites against not only this vulnerability but others that may arise in the future. Stay safe, and happy blogging!

Timeline

Published on: 02/27/2024 09:15:37 UTC
Last modified on: 08/28/2024 16:35:05 UTC