Hostel WordPress Plugin Stored Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

A stored cross-site scripting vulnerability has been identified in the Hostel WordPress plugin, affecting versions prior to 1.1.5.9. The issue arises because the plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape certain settings. This flaw enables high-privilege users, such as administrators, to execute stored XSS attacks, even in environments where the unfiltered_html capability is restricted, such as multisite setups.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows for stored cross-site scripting, where injected scripts are executed in the context of the user.

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, navigate to the Hostel plugin settings page. Set the Booking Mode to Paypal. In the 'Your Paypal Email' or 'Paypal PDT Token' fields, enter a payload that includes a script injection, such as an animation event that triggers an alert. Save the changes, and upon reloading the page, hover over the modified fields to observe the executed script, demonstrating the cross-site scripting vulnerability.

Remediation

Users are advised to update the Hostel WordPress plugin to version 1.1.5.9 or later.