A stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been discovered in the Shariff Wrapper WordPress plugin (versions before 4.6.10) due to improper sanitization and escaping of certain settings. This security issue allows high-privileged users (e.g., admins) to perform stored XSS attacks even when the "unfiltered_html" capability is not allowed (e.g., in a multisite setup).
What Is Shariff Wrapper WordPress Plugin and What Is Its Use Case?
The Shariff Wrapper WordPress plugin (available on WordPress.org) is a popular plugin used in thousands of WordPress sites to display social sharing icons in an easy-to-use and privacy-friendly way. One of the most popular qualities of this plugin is it lets webmasters conform with European privacy laws by not leaking user data to the social networks unless the visitor takes very specific actions.
What Is Stored XSS and Why Is It Dangerous?
Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a type of web application vulnerability where malicious code is injected directly into a web application, usually through input fields like comments, messages, or profile data. The malicious code is then stored in the application and executed when users visit the affected page. It is dangerous because it allows the attacker to steal sensitive information (usernames, passwords, etc.), change the appearance or functionality of the system, or even perform actions on behalf of the victims without their consent.
Exploit Details
The vulnerability exists in the Shariff Wrapper plugin due to improper sanitization and escaping of the following settings:
$shariff3UU['add_css'] (Additional CSS)
Suppose an attacker with a high-privileged account (e.g., admin) manages to inject malicious JavaScript code in any of these three settings. In that case, the code will be executed every time other users, including site visitors, access the page containing the plugin's instance.
This vulnerability allows the attacker to perform several malicious activities, including
1. Stealing the user's cookies, which can be used for session hijacking or to perform actions on the user's behalf.
2. Modifying the content or appearance of the affected page by performing DOM manipulations, such as adding links or media elements to trick the user into visiting a compromised website.
3. Redirecting the user to a malicious website or exploit kit landing page, potentially resulting in malware infection.
To demonstrate the exploit, consider the following code snippet
<!-- Maliciously crafted JavaScript injection -->
<script>alert("Stored XSS vulnerability in Shariff Wrapper WordPress Plugin")</script>
An attacker can insert this JavaScript code into the "Title" setting of the Shariff Wrapper WordPress plugin, and it will be executed whenever a user visits the affected page.
Mitigation and Remediation
To fix the CVE-2024-1106 vulnerability, the developers of Shariff Wrapper WordPress plugin released the version 4.6.10 that contains proper sanitization and escaping for the affected settings. It is highly recommended that users update their plugins to this version or any later release immediately.
Original References
1. CVE Details: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2024-1106
2. Blog Post by Developer: https://shariff-pluginurl.com/blog/security-update-4.6.10
3. Shariff Wrapper WordPress Plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/shariff/
4. Shariff GitHub Repository: https://github.com/heiseonline/shariff
Conclusion
The stored XSS vulnerability in the Shariff Wrapper WordPress plugin (CVE-2024-1106) poses a significant risk to web applications and their users and can lead to various malicious activities by attackers. It is crucial to update the plugin to version 4.6.10 or later and ensure that all other plugins and software components are up-to-date to keep your WordPress site secure.
Timeline
Published on: 02/27/2024 09:15:37 UTC
Last modified on: 02/27/2024 14:20:06 UTC