HT Contact Form WordPress Plugin Stored Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

A stored cross-site scripting vulnerability has been identified in the HT Contact Form WordPress plugin, specifically in versions up to and including 2.8.2. The issue arises from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping in the 'file_upload' parameter. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages, which are executed when a user accesses the affected page. Exploitation of this vulnerability requires the 'Store Submissions' setting to be enabled, as this determines whether unsanitized field values are saved to the database and later displayed using dangerouslySetInnerHTML in the admin entry viewer.

Impact

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

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, upload a file through a form created with the HT Contact Form plugin, ensuring that the 'Store Submissions' option is enabled. The uploaded file should be one that the application accepts, such as an image or a document. Once the file is uploaded, the plugin's lack of proper sanitization will allow for the injection of scripts, which will be executed when the submission is viewed in the WordPress admin panel.

Remediation

Users are advised to update the HT Contact Form WordPress plugin to version 2.8.3 or later, where this vulnerability has been addressed.