CVE-2022-3096 is a medium severity vulnerability affecting the WP Total Hacks WordPress plugin up to version 4.7.2. The core issue is a missing authorization control (CWE-862) that allows low-privilege users, such as subscribers, to modify the plugin's settings. This lack of proper permission checks combined with insufficient sanitization and escaping of user inputs leads to the possibility of stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks (CWE-79). Specifically, a malicious low-privilege user can inject malicious scripts into the plugin's settings, which are then stored and executed in the context of higher-privileged users like administrators when they access the affected pages. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring elevated privileges initially, but it does require the attacker to have at least low-level authenticated access (subscriber role). The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.4 (medium), reflecting the moderate impact on confidentiality and integrity, with no impact on availability. The scope is changed (S:C) because the vulnerability allows privilege escalation effects by impacting higher privileged users. No known public exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches are linked in the provided data. The vulnerability was published on October 31, 2022, and is tracked by WPScan and CISA. The plugin is used to customize WordPress behavior, and its improper access control and input handling create a vector for privilege escalation and persistent XSS attacks within the WordPress admin environment.

For European organizations using WordPress sites with the WP Total Hacks plugin (version 4.7.2 or earlier), this vulnerability poses a significant risk. An attacker with subscriber-level access—often easy to obtain through registration or compromised credentials—can inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of administrators. This can lead to theft of admin session cookies, credential theft, unauthorized changes to site configurations, or further malware deployment. The compromise of administrative accounts can result in full site takeover, data breaches, defacement, or use of the site as a launchpad for attacks on visitors. Given the widespread use of WordPress across Europe for corporate, governmental, and e-commerce websites, the vulnerability could impact confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data and disrupt business operations. The lack of availability impact reduces the risk of denial-of-service, but the potential for privilege escalation and persistent XSS makes this a serious threat to site security and trustworthiness.

1. Immediate upgrade or patching: Organizations should update the WP Total Hacks plugin to a version beyond 4.7.2 where this vulnerability is fixed. If no official patch exists, consider disabling or removing the plugin until a fix is available. 2. Restrict user registrations and roles: Limit subscriber-level user registrations and audit existing users to ensure no unauthorized accounts exist. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules: Deploy WAF rules that detect and block suspicious input patterns related to XSS and unauthorized settings modifications. 4. Harden WordPress security: Enforce strong authentication for all users, enable two-factor authentication for administrators, and monitor admin activities for unusual behavior. 5. Sanitize and validate inputs: If custom code interacts with the plugin or its settings, ensure proper sanitization and escaping of all user inputs to prevent script injection. 6. Monitor logs and alerts: Continuously monitor web server and application logs for signs of exploitation attempts or unusual access patterns. 7. Conduct security audits: Regularly audit WordPress plugins and configurations to identify and remediate similar authorization and input validation issues.