CVE-2022-4451 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Sassy Social Share plugin before version 3.3.45 in WordPress is susceptible to Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks, enabling users with low roles like contributor to exploit it against higher privilege users such as admins.

Understanding CVE-2022-4451

This CVE refers to a vulnerability in the Sassy Social Share WordPress plugin that allows attackers with minimal roles to execute Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks.

What is CVE-2022-4451?

The Social Sharing Plugin in WordPress versions prior to 3.3.45 fails to validate and escape certain shortcode attributes, leaving the system open to Stored XSS attacks.

The Impact of CVE-2022-4451

This vulnerability enables lower-privileged users like contributors to inject malicious scripts into the system, posing a significant risk to higher-privileged users such as administrators.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-4451

The following details shed light on the technical aspects of the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The issue in the Sassy Social Share plugin allows attackers with contributor roles to execute Stored XSS attacks by manipulating shortcode attributes.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects versions of the Social Sharing Plugin prior to version 3.3.45.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers with contributor roles exploit the lack of validation in shortcode attributes to insert and execute malicious scripts.

Mitigation and Prevention

Here are some key steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2022-4451.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update the Social Sharing Plugin to version 3.3.45 or newer to patch the vulnerability.
Restrict contributor roles and implement strict security measures.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update plugins and monitor for security advisories.
Conduct security audits and penetration testing on a routine basis.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely installation of updates and patches released by the plugin developers to address security issues.