As cyber-security continues to be a top priority, it is essential to stay informed about the latest vulnerabilities affecting popular technologies. This post will provide details on a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Mini Program API plugin for WordPress in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.5. This vulnerability could potentially allow an authenticated attacker with contributor-level access and above to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages, which will then execute whenever a user accesses an infected page.

Vulnerability Overview

The Mini Program API plugin for WordPress is a powerful tool that enables users to easily integrate mini-program (like WeChat) functionality into their WordPress sites. However, the plugin has been found to be vulnerable to a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attack via its 'qvideo' shortcode. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied attributes.

Original references

The vulnerability was initially identified and reported by security researcher John Doe (not the actual researcher's name). The vulnerability report can be found at the following link:
- Vulnerability Report

Details of the vulnerability

When an attacker injects a malicious script into the 'qvideo' attribute of the 'qvideo' shortcode, the said script is executed every time the infected page is accessed by users. Here is an example of the malicious script injection:

[qvideo qvideo_id="12345" qvideo_autoplay="1"><script>alert('XSS')</script>[/qvideo]

In the example provided, the arbitrary web script <script>alert('XSS')</script> has been injected into the 'qvideo' shortcode attribute. This will result in a JavaScript alert displaying 'XSS' when the infected page is accessed by users.

Affected versions

This vulnerability affects all versions of the Mini Program API plugin for WordPress up to, and including, version 1.4.5.

Exploit details

The exploit requires an authenticated attacker to have contributor-level access or above to inject the malicious script via the 'qvideo' shortcode's qvideo_id or qvideo_autoplay attributes. Once the infected page is accessed by a user, the arbitrary web script will be executed in their browser, potentially leading to various security risks.

Mitigation and solutions

To prevent exploitation of this vulnerability, it is recommended to update the Mini Program API plugin to the latest version (1.4.6 or above), which has patched the vulnerability. Alternatively, as a temporary solution, users can disable the 'qvideo' shortcode functionality until a proper update is applied. This can be achieved by adding the following code to the 'functions.php' file of your active theme:

function disable_qvideo_shortcode($atts, $content = null) {
    return '';
}
add_shortcode('qvideo', 'disable_qvideo_shortcode');

Conclusion

The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the Mini Program API plugin for WordPress is a significant security risk that must be addressed. Users are advised to update the plugin to the latest version or temporarily disable the 'qvideo' shortcode functionality until the patch is applied. By doing so, you can safeguard your WordPress site from potential exploitation and protect your users' information.

Timeline

Published on: 12/07/2024 12:15:17 UTC