Sassy Social Share Vulnerability – Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting – CVE-2024-1448 | WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Report

Plugin Name: Sassy Social Share

Key Information:

• Software Type: Plugin
• Software Slug: sassy-social-share
• Software Status: Active
• Software Author: heateor
• Software Downloads: 5,064,928
• Active Installs: 100,000
• Last Updated: February 20, 2024
• Patched Versions: 3.3.57
• Affected Versions: <= 3.3.56

Vulnerability Details:

• Name: Sassy Social Share <= 3.3.56 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
• Title: Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
• Type: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
• CVE: CVE-2024-1448
• CVSS Score: 6.4 (Medium)
• Publicly Published: February 20, 2024
• Researcher: Richard Telleng
• Description: The Social Sharing Plugin – Sassy Social Share plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's shortcode(s) in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.56 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with contributor-level and above permissions to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

Summary:

The Sassy Social Share plugin for WordPress has an authenticated stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in versions up to and including 3.3.56. This allows contributors and above to inject malicious scripts that execute when pages are viewed. The issue has been patched in version 3.3.57.

Detailed Overview:

Security researcher Richard Telleng publicly disclosed on February 20, 2024 that the popular Sassy Social Share plugin contains an authenticated stored cross-site scripting vulnerability. This is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input from shortcodes. Attackers with contributor-level access or above can exploit this to inject arbitrary browser-executable scripts into WordPress pages and posts. When legitimate administrators or visitors load affected pages, the scripts will then execute without their consent. This could be used for session hijacking, site defacement, spamming, or other malicious purposes. The vulnerability is present in all versions up to and including 3.3.56. Heateor, the plugin developer, has addressed the issue by escaping shortcode attributes before output in version 3.3.57. All users are urged to update as soon as possible.

Advice for Users:

1. Immediate Action: Update to version 3.3.57 or above to patch this vulnerability.
2. Check for Signs of Vulnerability: Review page and post content for unauthorized inserted scripts. Also monitor site traffic and behavior for abnormalities.
3. Alternate Plugins: Consider using alternate social sharing plugins like AddThis or Shareaholic as a precaution.
4. Stay Updated: Enable automatic updates for plugins whenever possible or manually update regularly.

Conclusion:

Sassy Social Share contained a medium severity vulnerability allowing stored XSS attacks. Users should immediately update to the latest version, 3.3.57, to mitigate any potential compromise of their WordPress sites. As always, keeping plugins updated is the best defense against emerging threats.

References:

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/wordpress-plugins/sassy-social-share

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/wordpress-plugins/sassy-social-share/sassy-social-share-3356-authenticated-contributor-stored-cross-site-scripting

Detailed Report:

Keeping your WordPress website secure should be a top priority – vulnerabilities in outdated plugins and themes put your site at risk of compromise. Unfortunately, the popular Sassy Social Share plugin contained a nasty flaw allowing authenticated users to inject malicious code. If you use this plugin, updating immediately is crucial. In this post, I’ll cover everything you need to know to lock down your site.

About Sassy Social Share Sassy Social Share is a widely used WordPress plugin with over 5 million downloads and 100,000+ active installs at the time of writing. It adds social media sharing buttons to posts and pages through shortcodes. The plugin is actively maintained by developer Heateor.

The Vulnerability Explained Researcher Richard Telleng discovered a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability impacting Sassy Social Share versions up to and including 3.3.56. The flaw allows users with contributor access or above to add malicious scripts on posts and pages that activate when visitors load the site. This could enable session hijacking, site defacement, spamming users and more damaging attacks. The vulnerability has been patched as of version 3.3.57.

Potential Impact While the vulnerability is rated medium severity based on the CVSS v3.1 rating system, the impact can still be substantial. Attackers can leverage it to:

• Steal or manipulate visitor sessions to take over accounts
• Inject phishing forms to harvest sensitive user data
• Deface site content with unwanted images or text
• Redirect visitors to harmful sites
• Send visitors spam or unwanted content

How to Patch Sassy Social Share

1. Log into your WordPress dashboard
2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Check the version of Sassy Social Share
4. If below 3.3.57, click “Update Now” to get the security patch

Prevent Future Vulnerabilities To avoid falling victim to plugin vulnerabilities in the future:

• Enable automatic background updates for plugins and themes
• Sign up for security notification services like Wordfence scanning
• Frequently check logs and site content for signs of compromise
• Consider limiting user roles like Contributors who can publish content

The developer’s quick response in patching this bug shows the value of using maintained software. However, the initial oversight also demonstrates vulnerabilities emerge unexpectedly. Staying perfectly secure as a small business owner with limited time is impossible – but automating updates and being proactive with monitoring goes a long way. Leverage available tools so you can focus on running your business without security worries.

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