CVE-2022-0248 : Security Advisory and Response
Discover the impact of CVE-2022-0248 affecting Contact Form Submissions plugin versions before 1.7.3 in WordPress. Learn about the vulnerability, exploitation, and mitigation strategies.
This CVE-2022-0248 article provides an in-depth understanding of the Contact Form Submissions vulnerability, its impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies.
Understanding CVE-2022-0248
The Contact Form Submissions plugin before version 1.7.3 in WordPress is vulnerable to unauthenticated stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks.
What is CVE-2022-0248?
The Contact Form Submissions WordPress plugin version < 1.7.3 fails to properly sanitize additional fields in contact form requests, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute XSS attacks.
The Impact of CVE-2022-0248
This vulnerability could be exploited by malicious actors to perform Cross-Site Scripting attacks against administrators viewing the submitted data, potentially leading to unauthorized access and data compromise.
Technical Details of CVE-2022-0248
Vulnerability Description
The Contact Form Submissions plugin does not properly sanitize and escape additional fields in contact form requests before displaying them, leaving the system susceptible to XSS attacks.
Affected Systems and Versions
Contact Form Submissions plugin versions prior to 1.7.3 are affected by this vulnerability, making websites using these versions at risk.
Exploitation Mechanism
Through the unescaped additional fields in contact form submissions, attackers can inject malicious scripts that get executed when viewed by an admin, leading to potential XSS attacks.
Mitigation and Prevention
Immediate Steps to Take
Website administrators are advised to update the Contact Form Submissions plugin to version 1.7.3 or later to mitigate this vulnerability.
Long-Term Security Practices
Implementing input validation and output encoding practices can help prevent XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins and ensure web application security.
Patching and Updates
Regularly applying security patches and staying informed about plugin updates are crucial to maintaining a secure WordPress environment and safeguarding against potential exploits.