Reflected Cross-Site Scripting in Wp Google Places Review Slider Plugin

Executive Summary

The Wp Google Places Review Slider plugin for WordPress has a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the 'place' parameter in versions up to and including 18.1.

This vulnerability occurs because the plugin does not properly sanitize or escape input in the admin/partials/googlecrawl_dfs.php file. Specifically, the $_GET['place'] value is URL-decoded, processed with stripslashes(), and then directly echoed into an HTML value attribute without using esc_attr() when the supplied place is not already stored in the wprev_google_crawls option.

As a result, an unauthenticated attacker can inject arbitrary web scripts by tricking a user into clicking a specially crafted link, causing the malicious script to execute in the user's browser.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via the 'place' parameter in the Wp Google Places Review Slider plugin for WordPress. Detection typically involves monitoring HTTP requests for suspicious or malicious payloads in the 'place' parameter.

You can detect attempts by inspecting web server logs or using tools like curl or wget to test the 'place' parameter with XSS payloads.

• Use curl to send a test request with a script payload in the 'place' parameter: curl -i "http://yourwordpresssite.com/path/to/plugin/admin/partials/googlecrawl_dfs.php?place=<script>alert(1)</script>"
• Check web server access logs for suspicious requests containing script tags or encoded payloads in the 'place' parameter.
• Use a web vulnerability scanner that supports detection of reflected XSS vulnerabilities on the affected URL.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of the affected website when a user interacts with a maliciously crafted link.

Potential impacts include theft of user credentials, session hijacking, defacement of the website, or redirection to malicious sites.

Since the attack requires user interaction (clicking a link), it can be used in phishing or social engineering attacks to compromise users or the website.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation steps include updating the Wp Google Places Review Slider plugin to a version later than 18.1 where the vulnerability is fixed.

If an update is not immediately available, consider disabling or removing the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation.

Additionally, implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block requests containing suspicious payloads in the 'place' parameter.

Educate users to avoid clicking on suspicious links that may exploit this reflected XSS vulnerability.

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