WordPress, being one of the most widely used content management systems globally, has countless plugins available to enhance its functionality. WP-Recall is one such popular plugin that improves user management and offers several features such as user profiles, private messaging, and more. However, a recent discovery by security researchers has uncovered a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WP-Recall version 16.26.11 and earlier. CVE-2024-9771 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability and highlights the dangers it poses to WordPress administrators and their website users.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability lies in the fact that the WP-Recall plugin, prior to version 16.26.12, fails to sanitize and escape some of its settings properly. This allows high-privilege users (typically administrators) to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed, as is the case with multisite setups.

Here is a code snippet that demonstrates the vulnerability

// Vulnerable code snippet in WP-Recall prior to version 16.26.12:

function wpr_add_option() {
  if(isset($_POST['value'])&&$_POST['option']) {
    update_option($_POST['option'],$_POST['value']);
    die();
  }
}

In this example, you can see that the code does not sanitize the 'value' and 'option' POST variables before updating the plugin's settings using the update_option() function. An attacker with high-level privileges can exploit this to insert malicious scripts into the website, which will execute whenever a user visits the affected page.

Here is an example of an exploit payload that could be used to carry out a Stored XSS attack

// Payload to exploit CVE-2024-9771 vulnerability:

<script>alert("XSS Exploit Successful!");</script>

Original References

The discovery of this vulnerability was initially reported in the WordPress Vulnerability Database (WPVDB), which you can find here: https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/cd2aaac4-ead3-41aa-bde-13bfe605e77e

In response to this discovery, the WP-Recall team released a patch (version 16.26.12) that addresses this vulnerability by properly sanitizing and escaping input in the affected settings. The changelog entry of the update can be found here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-recall/#developers

Mitigation Steps

If you are using the WP-Recall plugin on your WordPress website, it is highly recommended to take the following steps to protect yourself from this vulnerability:

1. Update the WP-Recall plugin to version 16.26.12 or higher. This can be done from the WordPress plugin management dashboard or by downloading the updated version here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-recall/

2. As a precaution, review the plugin settings and remove any suspicious or unexpected HTML or JavaScript code.

3. Regularly update your WordPress installation, including plugins, to ensure you stay protected from known vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

The CVE-2024-9771 vulnerability in the WP-Recall WordPress plugin serves as an essential reminder of the need for rigorous security practices and regular updates in the web development process. By keeping your plugins and themes up-to-date and following best security practices, you can help protect your website and its users from potential security threats and cyber attacks.

Stay vigilant, and always practice good web security!

Timeline

Published on: 04/28/2025 06:15:16 UTC
Last modified on: 04/29/2025 21:09:36 UTC