CVE-2022-3074 is a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the WordPress plugin 'Slider Hero with Animation, Video Background' prior to version 8.4.4. The vulnerability arises because the plugin fails to properly escape the slider Name field. This improper sanitization allows high-privileged users—such as administrators or editors with the ability to create or modify sliders—to inject malicious scripts into the slider Name. When these scripts are rendered in the WordPress admin interface or possibly on the front-end, they can execute in the context of other users viewing the affected pages. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, which covers improper neutralization of input leading to XSS attacks. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.8 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), but needs high privileges (PR:H) and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent, with no impact on availability. No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no official patches are linked, but upgrading to version 8.4.4 or later is implied to remediate the issue. The vulnerability is significant because it allows trusted users to inject scripts that could affect other users, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or defacement within the WordPress environment hosting the plugin.

For European organizations using WordPress sites with the Slider Hero plugin, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. Since exploitation requires high privileges, the threat is primarily internal or from compromised accounts with administrative rights. Successful exploitation could lead to the execution of arbitrary scripts in the context of other users, potentially exposing sensitive information, enabling session hijacking, or facilitating further attacks such as privilege escalation or malware distribution. Organizations with public-facing WordPress sites that rely on this plugin for visual content may experience reputational damage if attackers leverage this vulnerability to deface sites or inject malicious content. Additionally, organizations in regulated sectors (e.g., finance, healthcare) could face compliance issues if customer data confidentiality is compromised. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability remains a concern due to the common use of WordPress and the plugin in Europe. Attackers targeting high-privileged users could leverage social engineering or credential theft to exploit this vulnerability.

1. Immediate upgrade of the Slider Hero plugin to version 8.4.4 or later where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Restrict administrative privileges strictly to necessary personnel to minimize the number of users who can exploit this vulnerability. 3. Implement strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all high-privileged WordPress accounts to reduce the risk of account compromise. 4. Regularly audit WordPress user roles and permissions to ensure no unnecessary privilege escalation is possible. 5. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the impact of any injected scripts by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded. 6. Monitor WordPress logs and plugin activity for unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 7. Educate administrators and content managers about the risks of XSS and safe content management practices. 8. Consider using security plugins that provide additional XSS protection and input sanitization for WordPress environments.