Split: XSS vulnerability reported by WordFence/Jetpack

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  • #148795

    Jetpack just returned a security warning tonight on Mantra 3.3.2.

    These items require your immediate attention
    The theme mantra (version 3.3.2) has a publicly known vulnerability.1h ago
    Fix threat
    Vulnerability found in theme

    #148796

    More information. Please let me know if there’s a fix. Jetpack’s fix is to remove the mantra plug-in.

    Themes Vulnerabilities
    Mantra <= 3.3.2 – Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
    Description
    The Mantra theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to, and including, 3.3.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

    Affects Themes
    mantra
    No known fix
    References
    CVE
    CVE-2024-44056
    URL
    https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ced6450a-7d5a-4091-8181-98c005e74346
    Classification
    Type
    XSS
    OWASP top 10
    A7: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
    CWE
    CWE-79
    CVSS
    6.4 (medium)
    Miscellaneous
    Original Researcher
    stealthcopter
    Verified
    No
    WPVDB ID
    bf10fd17-849d-404a-8da4-ad633e048c24
    Timeline
    Publicly Published
    2024-08-29 (about 9 days ago)
    Added
    2024-09-05 (about 1 days ago)
    Last Updated
    2024-09-05 (about 1 days ago)

    #148801
    magnus
    Power User

    I am also concerned about the complete silence from Cryout Creatrions.

    This message appeared on several of my web pages several weeks ago:

    XSS flaws occur whenever an application includes untrusted data in a new web page without proper validation or escaping, or updates an existing web page with user-supplied data using a browser API to create HTML or JavaScript. XSS allows attackers to execute scripts in the victim’s browser, which can hijack user sessions, deface websites, or redirect the user to malicious sites.

    I have been using the Tempera theme for about 10 years and one of my web pages is really big with over 1000 posts and almost 1000 pages and there is about 33000 images. So it would be a realy big job to change the theme.

    Website: www.hojresor.se

    #148865

    I am getting this error from Jetpack ,and have now started to look for a new themes to use on my blogs. I used the “Free” themes, and well this isn’t good when the owners don’t answer anything.

    Jetpack Protect detected the following security threats in your site:
    Parabola <= 2.4.1 – Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting

    Jetpack Protect detected the following security threats in your site:
    Nirvana <= 1.6.3 – Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting

    #148866
    magnus
    Power User

    I don’t use Jetpack but I get the warnings anyway.

    Website: www.gestrikeantennservice.com

    #148903
    Zed
    Cryout Creations mastermind

    Hi everyone and sorry about the delay with a clarification.

    As the warning message displayed by the security plugin itself reads,
    this makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages

    Due to sub-optimal/missing sanitization to the get_the_author() calls used by the theme, this issue can affect (larger) websites if rogue registered users (contributor/editor levels and above are needed) decide to insert unwanted content in their user name fields.

     

    Personally, I find it weird that it’s the theme’s responsibility for sanitizing this data since it’s a core WordPress function returning database-stored content. If that field is not expected to store advanced HTML markup then WordPress should perform the proper level of sanitization/filtering on save.

    To be clear, the theme does not handle any saving or input processing for this data, it only displays whatever WordPress already has saved in the database for the user name field, which has passed WordPress existing sanitization rules when that data was saved through the dashboard by users with sufficient permissions on the site.

     

    This code has been in our themes in the same or very similar form since their launch (starting with Mantra back in 2009) and we have yet to have any kind of reports about XSS exploits through this route – frankly, if a rogue registered user with sufficient access decides to embed bad content on the site, the user name field is the least of your worries (and most likely not the first target).

    This is only now popping up now because a security tester bulk reported the insufficient sanitization to patchstack.com (a large vulnerabilities testing/disclosing database which also offers paid security services), and several security plugins are taking inspiration for their lists of things to monitor from there.

     

    Regardless of circumstances, we’ll be hardening the sanitization around the several get_the_author() function calls used in our themes, but since this issue is considered low severity/priority even by the patchstack.com report, we’ll be addressing it in the regular1 theme updates cycle as we get to them1 – for example, the correction is already present in the Bravada 1.1.3 update released yesterday.

    1 Mr. Kay had a different plan so you may already notice updates out there addressing this.

     

    PS: I’ve split this topic from the original post as that one was about mixed http/https content in the page, which is a different matter.

    • This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by Zed. Reason: updated for updates status

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    #148906
    magnus
    Power User

    I thank you very much for the information. I was a little worried when it was quiet from you, but now I can relax a little.

    I wish you all at Cryout Creations a nice weekend.

    #148911
    bassicsax
    Power User

    Thank you Zed!

    #149295

    Tengo el tema PARABOLA en dos sites. Aparecen como vulnerables y no hay actualización. Me sugieren que lo delete. Es obvio que no quiero cambiar de tema. Cual es la solución?

    I have the PARABOLA theme on two sites. They appear as vulnerable and there is no update. I am suggested to delete it. Obviously I don’t want to change the theme. What is the solution?

    Website: celpebrasnapratica.com

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