Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 3.2.5
- Affected Version
< 3.2.5- CVSS
- 7.2High
- Weakness type
- CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
- CVE
CVE-2012-4263
At a glance
CVE-2012-4263 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the Kadence Security WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 3.2.5. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 3.2.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2012, reported by SiNA Rabbani.
Vulnerability Overview
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in inc/admin/content.php in the Better WP Security (iThemes) plugin before 3.2.5 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the HTTP_USER_AGENT header.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.
CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Reaching this weakness in Kadence Security < 3.2.5 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Cross-site scripting happens when input from a request is written into a page without being escaped for the context it lands in, so the browser parses attacker-supplied text as markup or script.
Injected script runs with the privileges of whoever views the affected page, which is how these flaws turn into administrator session theft, silent account creation or persistent backdoors in page content. For Kadence Security the fix is 3.2.5: builds < 3.2.5 are affected, anything from 3.2.5 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 3.2.5, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Kadence Security: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Kadence Security 3.2.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
- 7.5CVE-2020-36176: iThemes Security <= 7.6.1 Broken Password Mechanism
CVE-2020-36176 - 7.4iThemes Security <= 5.3.5 Missing Capabilities Check
- 7.2CVE-2018-12636: iThemes Security <= 7.0.2 SQL Injection
CVE-2018-12636 - 6.5iThemes Security < 3.4.4 Cross-Site Scripting
- 6.4iThemes Security <= 5.6.1 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
- 6.4Better WP Security <= 3.6.3 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
- 6.1CVE-2012-4264: Better WP Security <= 3.2.4 Multiple XSS
CVE-2012-4264 - 5.3CVE-2022-44593: Solid Security <= 9.3.1 IP Address Spoofing to DoS
CVE-2022-44593
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