WordPress Splashing Images 2.1 Cross Site Scripting / PHP Object Injection

`Product: WordPress Splashing Images Plugin - https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-splashing-images/  
Vendor: Studio Espresso  
Tested version: 2.1  
  
  
** CVE ID: CVE-2018-6194 **  
  
:: CVE description ::  
A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in admin/partials/wp-splashing-admin-sidebar.php in the wp-splashing-images plugin before 2.1.1 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the search parameter to wp-admin/upload.php.  
  
:: Technical details ::  
In wp-splashing-images/admin/partials/wp-splashing-admin-sidebar.php:9, the search HTTP GET parameter is directly echoed into the value attribute of an HTML form field without proper sanitization. An attacker can close the HTML input tag with the "> expression and inject arbitrary HTML/JavaScript code.  
  
Vulnerable code:  
  
<input type="search" id="post-search-input-splashing" name="search" value="<?php echo $_GET['search']; ?>" placeholder="<?php _e('Search unsplash.com', 'wp-splashing-images'); ?>">  
  
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-splashing-images/trunk/admin/partials/wp-splashing-admin-sidebar.php?rev=1675965#L9  
  
:: Proof of Concept ::  
http://<host>/wp-admin/upload.php?page=wp-splashing&search="><script>alert(document.cookie);</script>  
  
  
** CVE ID: CVE-2018-6195 **  
  
:: CVE description ::  
admin/partials/wp-splashing-admin-main.php in the wp-splashing-images plugin before 2.1.1 for WordPress allows authenticated (administrator, editor, or author) remote attackers to conduct PHP Object Injection attacks via crafted serialized data in the 'session' HTTP GET parameter to wp-admin/upload.php.  
  
:: Technical details ::  
In wp-splashing-images/admin/partials/wp-splashing-admin-main.php:23, the contents of the session HTTP GET parameter is base64-decoded and then unserialized.  
  
Vulnerable code:  
  
<?php if($_GET['session']) {  
$data = unserialize(base64_decode($_GET['session']));  
  
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-splashing-images/trunk/admin/partials/wp-splashing-admin-main.php?rev=1675965#L23  
  
By carefully crafting a URL, a remote and authenticated (administrator, editor or author) attacker can inject a base64-encoded serialized PHP object into the current WordPress instance. Depending on the available classes within the current context and on what actions are performed within their relevant magic methods (such as __wakeup() or __destruct() ), impacts can go from arbitrary file deletion to arbitrary code execution.  
  
:: Proof of Concept ::  
Using pluginvulnerabilities.com's plugin [1], we can easily check that this vulnerability is exploitable:  
http://<host>/wp-admin/upload.php?page=wp-splashing&session=TzoyMDoiUEhQX09iamVjdF9JbmplY3Rpb24iOjA6e30%3D  
  
[1] https://www.pluginvulnerabilities.com/2017/07/24/wordpress-plugin-for-use-in-testing-for-php-object-injection/  
  
  
** Solution **  
Update to version 2.1.1  
  
  
** Timeline **  
10/01/2018: vendor contacted; vendor gives the e-mail address to send the report to  
12/01/2018: report sent to vendor  
22/01/2018: requested an update regarding the release date of the fix; vendor releases the fix on that day  
26/01/2018: report published  
  
  
** Credits **  
Vulnerabilities discovered by Nicolas Buzy-Debat working at Orange Cyberdefense Singapore (CERT-LEXSI).  
  
--  
Best Regards,  
  
Nicolas Buzy-Debat  
Orange Cyberdefense Singapore (CERT-LEXSI)  
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