CVE-2022-25307
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the WP Statistics WordPress plugin's platform parameter. When site administrators view statistics pages, these scripts execute in their browser context, potentially compromising administrative accounts. All WordPress sites using WP Statistics versions up to 13.1.5 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Statistics WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Wp Statistics by Veronalabs
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain administrative access to WordPress sites, leading to complete site takeover, data theft, malware distribution, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Attackers hijack administrator sessions to modify site content, install backdoors, steal sensitive data, or redirect visitors to malicious sites.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, the vulnerability is prevented, maintaining normal plugin functionality without security risks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the attacker to trick an administrator into viewing a specially crafted statistics page. The vulnerability is well-documented with public proof-of-concept details available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 13.1.6 and later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find WP Statistics and click 'Update Now'. 4. Alternatively, download version 13.1.6+ from WordPress.org and manually replace the plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WP Statistics Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patching is possible.
wp plugin deactivate wp-statistics
Restrict Admin Access
allLimit administrator account access to trusted IP addresses only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent script execution from untrusted sources.
- Use web application firewall (WAF) rules to block requests containing suspicious platform parameter values.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WP Statistics plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins → Installed Plugins. If version is 13.1.5 or lower, the site is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get wp-statistics --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the plugin version shows 13.1.6 or higher in the WordPress plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual platform parameter values in WordPress or web server logs containing script tags or JavaScript code
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to statistics pages with encoded script payloads in platform parameter
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "platform=" AND ("<script" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload=")🔗 References
- https://gist.github.com/Xib3rR4dAr/8090a6d026d4601083cff80aa80de7eb
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=2679983%40wp-statistics&new=2679983%40wp-statistics&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://www.wordfence.com/vulnerability-advisories/#CVE-2022-25307
- https://gist.github.com/Xib3rR4dAr/8090a6d026d4601083cff80aa80de7eb
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=2679983%40wp-statistics&new=2679983%40wp-statistics&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://www.wordfence.com/vulnerability-advisories/#CVE-2022-25307
