CVE-2023-49168

BP Better Messages <= 2.4.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via shortcode

2023-11-29 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.4.1
Affected Plugin: Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots
Affected Version: <= 2.4.0
CVSS: 6.4Medium
Weakness type: CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
CVE: CVE-2023-49168

View all Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-49168 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the Better Messages WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.4.0. It carries a CVSS score of 6.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.4.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2023, reported by Rafshanzani Suhada.

Vulnerability Overview

The Better Messages – Live Chat for WordPress, BuddyPress, PeepSo, Ultimate Member, BuddyBoss plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's shortcode(s) in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with contributor-level and above permissions to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

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 interaction from a victim user.

CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Reaching this weakness in Better Messages <= 2.4.0 takes an account at Contributor level or above. 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 Better Messages the fix is 2.4.1: builds <= 2.4.0 are affected, anything from 2.4.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.4.1, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Contributor access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Better Messages 2.4.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-49168 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a4ccc7f8-c8e0-457a-b437-2a23530a9df4 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-49168

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots

CVSS Vector

6.4

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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