CVE-2022-2983 is a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Salat Times WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.2.2. This plugin, which provides Islamic prayer times, fails to properly sanitize and escape its settings input fields. The vulnerability allows users with high privileges, such as administrators, to inject malicious scripts even when the WordPress unfiltered_html capability is disabled. This is significant because unfiltered_html is typically the gatekeeper for allowing raw HTML input, and its disallowance is meant to prevent such script injections. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input during web page generation. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.8 (medium severity), with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges required (PR:H), user interaction required (UI:R), scope changed (S:C), and low impact on confidentiality and integrity (C:L, I:L), with no impact on availability (A:N). The scope change means that the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable component, potentially impacting the entire WordPress site. Exploitation requires an authenticated user with administrative privileges to interact with the plugin settings interface, where they can inject malicious JavaScript code. This code could then execute in the context of other administrators or users who view the affected settings page, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or other malicious actions within the WordPress admin environment. No known public exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patch links were provided, but the issue is resolved in version 3.2.2 or later. The vulnerability is particularly relevant to WordPress sites using this plugin, which may be niche but still present in various organizations. Given the requirement for high privileges and user interaction, the risk is mitigated somewhat but remains a concern for internal threat actors or compromised admin accounts.

For European organizations using the Salat Times WordPress plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of their WordPress administrative environments. An attacker with administrative access could leverage this XSS flaw to execute arbitrary scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, or the injection of further malicious payloads such as backdoors or malware. This could compromise sensitive organizational data, disrupt website management, or facilitate lateral movement within the organization's network. Although availability is not directly impacted, the integrity and confidentiality breaches could lead to reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (especially under GDPR if personal data is exposed), and operational disruptions. The requirement for high privileges and user interaction limits the attack surface to insider threats or attackers who have already compromised an admin account, but it still represents a significant risk in environments where multiple administrators manage WordPress sites. European organizations with public-facing websites using this plugin could be targeted for defacement or data theft. Additionally, organizations in sectors with heightened security requirements (e.g., government, finance, healthcare) may face increased risks if this vulnerability is exploited.

1. Immediate upgrade of the Salat Times WordPress plugin to version 3.2.2 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Restrict administrative privileges strictly to trusted personnel and enforce strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of compromised admin accounts. 3. Regularly audit WordPress user accounts and plugin usage to identify and remove unnecessary or outdated plugins, especially niche plugins like Salat Times that may not be widely maintained. 4. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts within the WordPress admin interface, mitigating the impact of potential XSS attacks. 5. Monitor WordPress logs and web traffic for unusual activity indicative of XSS exploitation attempts or unauthorized admin actions. 6. Employ web application firewalls (WAF) with rules tuned to detect and block XSS payloads targeting WordPress admin pages. 7. Educate administrators about the risks of XSS and the importance of cautious input handling, even within trusted admin environments. 8. Consider isolating WordPress administrative interfaces behind VPNs or IP whitelisting to reduce exposure to external attackers. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific context of this plugin and the nature of the vulnerability.