CVE-2021-25008

Code Snippets <= 2.14.2 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting

2021-12-27 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.14.3
Affected Plugin: Code Snippets
Affected Version: < 2.14.3
CVSS: 6.1Medium
Weakness type: CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
CVE: CVE-2021-25008

At a glance

CVE-2021-25008 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the Code Snippets WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 2.14.3. It carries a CVSS score of 6.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.14.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2021, reported by Krzysztof Zając.

Vulnerability Overview

The Code Snippets WordPress plugin before 2.14.3 does not escape the snippets-safe-mode parameter before outputting it back in attributes, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting issue

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.

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

Reaching this weakness in Code Snippets < 2.14.3 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 Code Snippets the fix is 2.14.3: builds < 2.14.3 are affected, anything from 2.14.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.14.3, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Code Snippets: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Code Snippets 2.14.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-25008 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/77ff6195-e2e6-49bd-a96e-d2f60b309368 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25008

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in Code Snippets

CVSS Vector

6.1

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionRequired
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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