GiveWP is a popular WordPress plugin designed for accepting charitable donations and managing donor information. With over 100,000 active installations, it's a widely utilized plugin across the platform. However, researchers have discovered a significant security vulnerability in versions of the plugin before 3.19., which we will discuss in this post. This vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2024-11921. In this article, we'll discuss the exploit's details, provide code snippets to demonstrate the vulnerability, and offer advice on addressing this issue.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability in question for the GiveWP WordPress plugin is a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. Reflected XSS is dangerous because it allows an attacker to execute malicious JavaScript code on a victim's browser, potentially compromising their personal information or gaining unauthorized access to their accounts. In this case, the vulnerability exists due to improper sanitization and escaping of a specific parameter before outputting it back in the page.

When processing the donations via the GiveWP plugin, an attacker can craft a malicious URL – including JavaScript code – which, when visited by a high privilege user, such as an administrator, could compromise the user's account.

To demonstrate the vulnerability, let's take a look at a code snippet with the unsanitized parameter

// Vulnerable code in GiveWP versions before 3.19.
function vulnerable_function() {
  $parameter = $_GET['unsanitized_parameter'];
  echo "Hello, " . $parameter;
}

An attacker could exploit this by crafting a URL that includes malicious JavaScript code

https://example.com/page-with-givewp?unsanitized_parameter=%3Cscript%3Ealert('XSS%20Attack')%3C/script%3E

When a high-privileged user visits this link, the malicious JavaScript will be executed in their browser, potentially leading to compromised account access.

In the fixed 3.19. version of the GiveWP plugin, the parameter is now correctly sanitized and escaped before output:

// Fixed code in GiveWP 3.19.
function fixed_function() {
  $parameter = sanitize_text_field($_GET['sanitized_parameter']);
  echo esc_html("Hello, " . $parameter);
}

You can find more information about this vulnerability from the following sources

1. The official National Vulnerability Database (NVD) entry for CVE-2024-11921: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-11921
2. GiveWP's official changelog detailing the release of the fixed 3.19. version: https://givewp.com/changelog/

Remediation Recommendations

Since this vulnerability affects GiveWP versions before 3.19., upgrading to version 3.19. or a later version is strongly recommended. To update the GiveWP plugin:

If an update is available, click "Update Now" and follow any prompts to complete the process.

In addition to updating the plugin, it's good practice to review any user accounts, especially high-privilege accounts, for signs of unauthorized access. If you suspect any suspicious activity or account compromise, ensure you change the affected users' passwords and review account access permissions as a precaution.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-11921 is an important security vulnerability in the GiveWP WordPress plugin potentially impacting high-privilege users. By understanding the exploit, its implications, and taking steps to remediate the vulnerability - such as updating the plugin and following best practices for account security – you can protect your website and its users. Stay vigilant, and always keep your plugins up-to-date to minimize the likelihood of exploits against your WordPress installation.

Timeline

Published on: 12/27/2024 06:15:23 UTC
Last modified on: 12/27/2024 19:15:07 UTC