CVE-2023-0271 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE record relates to a vulnerability in the WP Font Awesome WordPress plugin with a version prior to 1.7.9, allowing users with the contributor role and above to execute Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks.

Understanding CVE-2023-0271

This section delves into the details of the CVE-2023-0271 vulnerability in the WP Font Awesome plugin.

What is CVE-2023-0271?

CVE-2023-0271 concerns a security flaw in the WP Font Awesome WordPress plugin version 1.7.9 or below. The issue arises from the plugin's failure to properly validate and escape certain shortcode attributes, enabling contributors and higher roles to carry out Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks.

The Impact of CVE-2023-0271

The impact of CVE-2023-0271 is significant as it allows malicious contributors or users with elevated roles to inject malicious scripts into pages or posts utilizing the affected plugin, potentially leading to unauthorized actions such as data theft, session hijacking, or website defacement.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-0271

In this section, we will explore the technical aspects of the CVE-2023-0271 vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in WP Font Awesome plugin version 1.7.9 and earlier stems from the lack of proper validation and escaping of certain shortcode attributes. This oversight enables attackers to insert malicious scripts that could be executed when the shortcode is rendered on a page or post.

Affected Systems and Versions

The WP Font Awesome plugin versions prior to 1.7.9 are affected by CVE-2023-0271. Users utilizing these versions of the plugin are at risk of exploitation if contributors or higher role users with malicious intent leverage this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting CVE-2023-0271 involves crafting malicious shortcode attributes and embedding them within a page or post utilizing the vulnerable WP Font Awesome plugin. Upon rendering, the malicious scripts can execute in the context of the victim's browser, enabling various XSS attacks.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address the CVE-2023-0271 vulnerability, immediate action and ongoing security practices are necessary.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users of WP Font Awesome plugin should update to version 1.7.9 or above to mitigate the vulnerability.
Website administrators are advised to restrict the contributor role and above from using untrusted shortcode attributes, minimizing the risk of exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update plugins and themes to the latest versions to patch known vulnerabilities.
Implement input validation and output encoding practices to mitigate XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins and themes.

Patching and Updates

Plugin users should regularly check for updates and apply patches released by the plugin developers to address security vulnerabilities promptly.