CVE-2021-36867 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

WordPress Psychological tests & quizzes plugin <= 0.21.19 has been found to have an Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. Users with contributor or higher user rights are at risk.

Understanding CVE-2021-36867

This CVE pertains to a Stored XSS vulnerability in the Psychological tests & quizzes plugin for WordPress, allowing attackers with certain user rights to execute malicious scripts.

What is CVE-2021-36867?

The vulnerability in the Psychological tests & quizzes plugin version <= 0.21.19 allows authenticated users with contributor or higher rights to inject and execute malicious scripts, potentially impacting site integrity and confidentiality.

The Impact of CVE-2021-36867

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as MEDIUM. It can lead to unauthorized script execution by attackers with limited user privileges, affecting the confidentiality and integrity of the WordPress site.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-36867

This section covers the specific technical details of the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability is classified as a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw, allowing authenticated users to insert malicious scripts that get executed in the context of the site.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected product is the Psychological tests & quizzes plugin version <= 0.21.19 by Alexander Ustimenko when installed on WordPress instances.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers with contributor or higher user rights can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious scripts in areas where user input is not properly validated.

Mitigation and Prevention

Here are the steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2021-36867.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update the Psychological tests & quizzes plugin to a version beyond 0.21.19 to patch the vulnerability.
Restrict user permissions to minimize the impact of potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and update WordPress plugins to ensure the latest security patches are applied.
Educate users about secure practices to prevent XSS attacks.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates for all installed plugins, especially for those carrying known vulnerabilities like this XSS issue in Psychological tests & quizzes plugin.