A vulnerability has been discovered in the Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress plugin which affects all versions up to and including 2.1.7. The vulnerability is classified as Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and it allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts that execute when a user clicks on a specially crafted link. This vulnerability has been assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2024-10684.

Background

The Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress plugin is a popular WordPress plugin that allows website owners to quickly and easily add a chatbot to their site. The chatbot is designed to help site visitors with common questions and tasks, providing a more engaging and interactive user experience.

Vulnerability Details

The issue lies in the 'dir' parameter of the plugin, as it lacks proper input sanitization and output escaping. This vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that are then executed by the victim's browser. Since the plugin does not require authentication, any attacker can exploit this vulnerability to target unsuspecting users.

The following is a simplified example of the vulnerable code in the plugin

<?php
    //...
    $dir = $_GET['dir'];
    //...
    echo "<script>var chatbotDir = '".$dir."';</script>";
    //...
?>

As shown above, the 'dir' parameter is directly passed to the plugin without any sanitization or escaping, making it vulnerable to XSS attacks.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to create a specially crafted link containing the malicious script and trick a user into clicking on it. As an example, the following malicious URL would exploit the Reflected XSS vulnerability:

http://example.com/wordpress_site/?plugin=kognetiks-chatbot&dir=<script>alert('XSS')</script>;

In this case, when a user clicks on the malicious link, an alert box would appear with the text 'XSS', showing that the arbitrary script has been executed.

Mitigation

To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to update their Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress plugin to the latest version. The input sanitization and output escaping should also be implemented in the 'dir' parameter to ensure that such attacks cannot be executed in the future.

Conclusion

The Reflected XSS vulnerability found in the Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress plugin poses a significant security threat to website owners and visitors. Users are highly advised to apply the necessary patches and follow best practices to keep their WordPress installations secure.

It is essential to always stay up-to-date with the latest security advisories and updates for any software or services utilized on your website. Remember, it's not just your visitors' security at stake, but your own site's reputation and trustworthiness.

Original References

1. National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2. WordPress Plugin Repository

Timeline

Published on: 11/13/2024 03:15:04 UTC
Last modified on: 11/18/2024 15:03:08 UTC