CVE-2023-22706
📋 TL;DR
Unauthenticated Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the PropertyHive WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted URLs. When users click malicious links, attackers can steal session cookies, redirect users, or perform actions on their behalf. This affects all WordPress sites running PropertyHive plugin versions 1.5.48 and earlier.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress PropertyHive plugin
📦 What is this software?
Propertyhive by Wp Property Hive
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers steal administrator session cookies, gain full administrative access to WordPress site, install backdoors, deface website, or exfiltrate sensitive data.
Likely Case
Attackers steal user session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform limited actions within user permissions via social engineering.
If Mitigated
With proper Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and input validation, impact is limited to potential script execution in user browsers without persistent effects.
🎯 Exploit Status
Reflected XSS vulnerabilities are commonly exploited via phishing emails or malicious links. No authentication required.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.5.49 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/propertyhive/wordpress-propertyhive-plugin-1-5-47-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find PropertyHive plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress repository and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to restrict script execution sources and mitigate XSS impact.
Add to .htaccess: Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
Add to nginx config: add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'";
Disable PropertyHive Plugin
allTemporarily disable plugin until patched if PropertyHive functionality is not critical.
wp plugin deactivate propertyhive
Or via WordPress admin: Plugins > Installed Plugins > PropertyHive > Deactivate
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in URLs.
- Educate users about phishing risks and not clicking untrusted links.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel: Plugins > Installed Plugins, find PropertyHive version. If version <= 1.5.48, vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get propertyhive --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After update, verify PropertyHive plugin version is 1.5.49 or higher in WordPress admin plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual long URLs with script tags in web server access logs
- Multiple 404 errors for crafted PropertyHive-related URLs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with suspicious parameters containing script tags or JavaScript code
- Unusual redirects from PropertyHive pages
SIEM Query:
source="web_access_logs" AND (url="*propertyhive*" AND (url="*<script>*" OR url="*javascript:*" OR url="*onload=*"))🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/propertyhive/wordpress-propertyhive-plugin-1-5-47-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/propertyhive/wordpress-propertyhive-plugin-1-5-47-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
