Photo Gallery Cross-Site Scripting Scanner
Detects 'Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)' vulnerability in Photo Gallery affects v. < 1.7.1.
Short Info
Level
Medium
Single Scan
Single Scan
Can be used by
Asset Owner
Estimated Time
10 seconds
Time Interval
11 days
Scan only one
Domain, IPv4, Subdomain
Toolbox
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Photo Gallery is a popular plugin used on WordPress websites to create and manage galleries of images. It is used by website owners, photographers, and content creators to showcase images in an organized and visually appealing manner. The plugin provides an easy-to-use interface for uploading and displaying images with various customization options. It is often used in personal blogs, professional portfolios, and commercial websites to enhance the visual presentation of digital content. Photo Gallery is installed and utilized across numerous WordPress sites globally. It aims to improve user engagement and site aesthetics by offering interactive and attractive image galleries.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a prevalent web vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into content that is viewed by other users. This vulnerability arises when applications include untrusted data in web pages without proper validation or escaping. In the case of Photo Gallery, certain URLs were not adequately escaped before being outputted, leading to Reflected XSS. This type of attack can result in unauthorized actions, credential theft, or data manipulation. It primarily affects the users viewing the compromised page rather than the server hosting the vulnerable application. Proper input sanitization and output encoding are vital to prevent XSS vulnerabilities.
The technical details of this XSS vulnerability are quite specific and relate to the handling of URL inputs by the Photo Gallery plugin. The issue manifests when the plugin echoes back unescaped URLs into web page attributes, potentially allowing malicious scripts to execute. This occurs specifically on plugin pages within the WordPress admin panel. The vulnerability is exploited by injecting script tags into URL parameters, which are then rendered and executed by the victim's browser. Attackers need to craft a link containing the XSS payload and trick users into clicking it to execute the attack. Fixing this requires updating the plugin to version 1.7.1 or later, where the issue has been patched.
Exploiting the Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability could have significant effects on the affected website's users. Attackers may be able to hijack user sessions, perform actions on behalf of users, or steal sensitive information such as login credentials. Additionally, malicious scripts could deface the website, redirect users to phishing sites, or spread malware. Since attackers can manipulate the client-side behavior of a website, trust in the site's security from a user perspective could be severely diminished. Exploited sites may suffer reputational damage and a loss of user confidence. Consistently securing inputs and employing proper encoding can mitigate these risks.
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