CVE-2023-40208 Scanner

The Stock Ticker Plugin for WordPress serves as an invaluable tool for financial websites, blogs, and platforms looking to display real-time or static stock information. It is widely utilized by financial analysts, stock market enthusiasts, and website owners to offer up-to-date financial data to their audience. This plugin integrates seamlessly with WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems, providing an easy-to-use interface for site administrators to customize ticker settings and preferences. Its functionality enriches websites by offering visitors timely stock market updates, thereby enhancing user engagement and the dissemination of financial information. The plugin's utility in financial communication makes it a critical asset for websites focusing on stock market news, analysis, and insights.

The identified vulnerability within the Stock Ticker Plugin is a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issue. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping, enabling unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages. These scripts execute when a user performs certain actions, like clicking on a malicious link, compromising the integrity and security of the user's session. This vulnerability exposes users to various security risks, including data theft, session hijacking, and malicious redirection, underscoring the importance of implementing stringent input validation and sanitization measures.

Specifically, the vulnerability is located within the ajax_stockticker_load function of the plugin, where user-supplied input is inadequately sanitized before being rendered in the user's browser. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious URLs or links that include script tags or other executable content. When a user interacts with these malicious vectors, the embedded scripts are executed within their browser, leading to potential security breaches. The exploitation of this vulnerability requires user interaction, making social engineering tactics a likely vector for attacks. The technical mechanism of this flaw highlights the critical need for thorough input validation and output encoding in web applications.

The exploitation of the Reflected Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in the Stock Ticker Plugin could lead to several adverse effects. Users could fall victim to phishing attacks, where sensitive information is stolen. Additionally, attackers could gain unauthorized access to user sessions, allowing them to perform actions on behalf of the user, potentially leading to account takeover. Moreover, the injection of malicious scripts could result in the alteration of web page content or redirection to malicious sites, undermining the credibility and security of the affected website. Such exploits significantly compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the website and its user data.

By leveraging the security scanning capabilities of the securityforeveryone platform, users can proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities like the Cross-Site Scripting flaw in the Stock Ticker Plugin for WordPress. Our platform offers detailed vulnerability assessments, actionable remediation guidance, and continuous monitoring to safeguard digital assets against emerging threats. Membership ensures access to cutting-edge security technology, expertise, and support, empowering users to maintain robust security postures. Engage with our platform to enhance your cyber resilience and protect your online presence from sophisticated threats.

References

• https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/wordpress-plugins/stock-ticker/stock-ticker-3233-reflected-cross-site-scripting
• https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/stock-ticker/wordpress-stock-ticker-plugin-3-23-3-unauth-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability
• https://wordpress.org/plugins/stock-ticker/
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-40208
• https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/stock-ticker/wordpress-stock-ticker-plugin-3-23-3-unauth-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve