CVE-2022-4971 Scanner

The Sassy Social Share plugin for WordPress is widely used for adding social media sharing capabilities to websites. It is particularly popular among WordPress users who want a visually appealing and customizable option for social media integration. The plugin supports a range of social networks and includes various settings for button styles and layouts, making it adaptable for different website themes and designs. It is often employed by bloggers, content creators, and businesses to enhance social engagement on their platforms. Despite its user-friendly interface, configurations and versions need careful monitoring due to potential security risks. Regular updates and security patches are crucial to maintaining the integrity of websites using this plugin.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a significant vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. In the context of Sassy Social Share, this vulnerability arises from insufficient input sanitization of the 'urls' parameter in AJAX actions. Attackers can craft malicious links that, when clicked by unsuspecting users, execute arbitrary scripts in the context of their sessions. This can lead to unauthorized data access, session hijacking, and other malicious activities. Understanding and mitigating XSS vulnerabilities is critical for maintaining user trust and website security. Developers need to implement robust input validation and output escaping mechanisms to prevent these attacks.

The technical aspect of this vulnerability centers on the 'urls' parameter within the 'heateor_sss_sharing_count' AJAX action. Due to improper sanitization, this parameter is susceptible to injection of arbitrary web scripts. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers. Users must be tricked into clicking a link for the attack to be successful, highlighting the reliance on social engineering. The lack of input validation and insufficient output escaping are critical factors contributing to this vulnerability. It underscores the importance of robust security practices during plugin development and maintenance.

If exploited, the Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in Sassy Social Share can lead to severe security breaches. Unauthenticated attackers might execute malicious code in users' browser sessions, potentially leading to stolen session cookies, user impersonation, and data theft. Additionally, affected users might unknowingly propagate the script to others, amplifying the attack's impact. Beyond technical exploitation, such vulnerabilities can result in significant reputational damage for websites and trust issues among users. Website administrators are urged to address this vulnerability promptly to safeguard their platforms and users.

REFERENCES

• https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/85277960-2bba-4cd7-9f4c-e04f6743b96c?source=cve
• https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/4631519b-2060-43a0-b69b-b3d7ed94c705/
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-4971