CVE-2015-1879

Google Doc Embedder <= 2.5.18 - Cross-Site Scripting

2015-01-26 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.5.19
Affected Plugin: Google Doc Embedder
Affected Version: < 2.5.19
CVSS: 5.4Medium
Weakness type: CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
CVE: CVE-2015-1879

View all Google Doc Embedder vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2015-1879 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the Google Doc Embedder WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 2.5.19. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 2.5.19; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2015, reported by Kenneth Jepsen.

Vulnerability Overview

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Google Doc Embedder plugin before 2.5.19 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the profile parameter in an edit action in the gde-settings page to wp-admin/options-general.php.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed.

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

Reaching this weakness in Google Doc Embedder < 2.5.19 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 Google Doc Embedder the fix is 2.5.19: builds < 2.5.19 are affected, anything from 2.5.19 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.5.19, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Google Doc Embedder: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Google Doc Embedder 2.5.19 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-1879 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c2e80e6f-08e7-426b-9797-97483c3dc410 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-1879

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in Google Doc Embedder

CVSS Vector

5.4

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

Base

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

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