Source: audit@patchstack.com
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in WPDeveloper Essential Addons for Elementor allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Essential Addons for Elementor: from n/a through 6.0.7.
Critical vulnerability exists in the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin, allowing for Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. Successful exploitation enables attackers to inject malicious JavaScript into web pages, potentially leading to account takeover, data theft, and website defacement. This vulnerability affects versions up to and including 6.0.7.
Step 1: Payload Delivery: An attacker identifies a vulnerable input field within the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin, such as a comment section or a form field.
Step 2: Payload Injection: The attacker crafts a malicious JavaScript payload (e.g., <script>alert('XSS')</script>) and submits it through the identified input field.
Step 3: Data Storage: The plugin stores the attacker's malicious payload within its database, along with other user-provided data.
Step 4: Victim Interaction: A legitimate user visits a web page that displays the stored data, which includes the attacker's injected JavaScript.
Step 5: Payload Execution: The victim's web browser executes the malicious JavaScript payload, as the plugin fails to properly sanitize the input. This can lead to various malicious actions, such as stealing cookies, redirecting the user to a phishing site, or defacing the website.
The root cause of CVE-2024-56063 lies in the improper neutralization of user-supplied input within the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin. Specifically, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize or encode user-provided data before rendering it within the context of a web page. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through vulnerable input fields, such as those used for comments, form submissions, or other user-generated content. The lack of proper input validation and output encoding allows the injected script to execute within the victim's browser, leading to XSS.
While no specific APT groups are directly linked to this CVE, XSS vulnerabilities are commonly exploited by a wide range of threat actors, including those involved in credential harvesting, malware distribution, and website defacement. This vulnerability is not currently listed on the CISA KEV.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) logs showing suspicious JavaScript injection attempts.
Server-side logs indicating unusual activity related to user input, such as unexpected characters or patterns in comment sections or form submissions.
Network traffic analysis revealing suspicious HTTP requests containing JavaScript payloads.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems configured to detect XSS patterns.
File integrity monitoring to detect changes to plugin files.
Update the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin to version 6.0.8 or later.
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter and block malicious requests.
Thoroughly sanitize and validate all user-supplied input on the server-side before storing or displaying it.
Implement output encoding (e.g., HTML encoding) to prevent the execution of malicious scripts.
Regularly scan the website for vulnerabilities using a web vulnerability scanner.
Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) to restrict the sources from which the browser can load resources, mitigating the impact of XSS attacks.