CVE-2022-3206 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the Passster WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.5.5.5.2. The vulnerability arises from the insecure storage of user passwords within a cookie named "passster". Instead of using secure encryption or hashing, the password is stored using base64 encoding, which is a reversible encoding scheme rather than a cryptographic protection method. This means that if an attacker gains access to the user's cookies—through methods such as cross-site scripting (XSS), network interception on unsecured connections, or physical access to the device—they can easily decode the base64 string and retrieve the plaintext password. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials) and CWE-319 (Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information), highlighting the risks of storing sensitive credentials in an easily decodable format and potentially transmitting them insecurely. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.9 (medium), with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), no integrity impact (I:N), and no availability impact (A:N). This suggests that exploitation can be performed remotely without authentication or user interaction but requires conditions that make the attack complex. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches or mitigation links were provided in the source information. The vulnerability primarily threatens the confidentiality of user credentials, potentially allowing attackers to impersonate users or escalate privileges if the same password is reused elsewhere. Since Passster is a WordPress plugin, the threat affects websites using this plugin, which may include a variety of content management and membership sites that rely on password protection for content or user access.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those relying on the Passster plugin to protect sensitive or restricted content on their WordPress sites. If attackers can obtain user passwords through cookie theft and decoding, they may gain unauthorized access to protected areas, leading to data breaches or unauthorized content disclosure. This can result in reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and potential regulatory penalties under GDPR if personal data is exposed. Additionally, if users reuse passwords across multiple services, the compromise could extend beyond the affected website, increasing the risk of broader account takeovers. The vulnerability's medium severity and the requirement for high attack complexity somewhat limit the immediate risk, but organizations with high-value targets or sensitive data should consider this a serious concern. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces urgency but does not eliminate risk, as attackers may develop exploits in the future. The threat is particularly relevant for European organizations using WordPress for e-commerce, membership management, or internal portals where password protection is critical.

European organizations should take the following specific actions to mitigate this vulnerability: 1) Immediately update the Passster plugin to version 3.5.5.5.2 or later, where this issue is resolved. If an update is not available, consider disabling the plugin or replacing it with a more secure alternative that does not store passwords in cookies. 2) Implement secure cookie attributes such as HttpOnly and Secure flags to reduce the risk of cookie theft via client-side scripts or network interception. 3) Enforce HTTPS across the entire website to protect cookies and other sensitive data in transit. 4) Conduct a thorough audit of user authentication flows and cookie handling to ensure no other sensitive information is stored insecurely. 5) Educate users and administrators about the risks of password reuse and encourage strong, unique passwords combined with multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible. 6) Monitor web server and application logs for unusual access patterns that might indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. 7) If feasible, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS risks that could lead to cookie theft. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific weakness of password storage in cookies and the attack vectors likely to be exploited.