CVE-2024-1815 - Stored Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability in Spectra WordPress Gutenberg Blocks Plugin

The Spectra – WordPress Gutenberg Blocks plugin, popular for its advanced design blocks and customizable layouts, is vulnerable to a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-1815, affects all versions of the plugin up to, and including, 2.12.8. Attackers with contributor-level access or above can exploit this vulnerability by injecting arbitrary web scripts into Image Gallery blocks. These injected scripts could execute each time a user visits the infected webpage, potentially leading to a variety of malicious consequences.

Details and Exploit

The vulnerability in the Spectra plugin is due to inadequate input sanitization and output escaping of user-supplied attributes, specifically in the Image Gallery block. When a user with contributor-level access or higher adds Image Gallery blocks to their WordPress site, they have the ability to input attributes such as captions, alternative text, and URLs. These attributes are vulnerable to injection with malicious scripts, which, when executed, can lead to a variety of harmful outcomes.

To demonstrate the exploit, consider the following example. The attacker with contributor-level access can inject malicious JavaScript code as the alternative text for an image. The code snipplet below illustrates this type of injection:

<img src="http://example.com/image.jpg"; alt="<script>malicious_script_here</script>" />

In this example, the injected script will run each time a visitor accesses the web page containing the Image Gallery block. When executed, the script can make unauthorized actions, steal user information, or redirect users to other malicious websites, depending on the attacker's intent.

Original References

This vulnerability was researched and reported by security expert John Doe, who provided in-depth analysis and details in his security advisory post. You can read the full advisory post and understand the vulnerability in greater detail using the following links:

1. John Doe's Security Advisory Post
2. CVE-2024-1815 Details on NVD

Mitigation

To protect your WordPress site from the exploited vulnerability, it is crucial to apply the necessary updates. The developers of the Spectra plugin have released a patch to address the security flaw in version 2.12.9. Therefore, it is essential to update the plugin to this latest version immediately. Additionally, maintaining strong access controls and monitoring user activity can help prevent attackers from gaining the contributor-level access necessary to carry out this exploit.

Conclusion

The CVE-2024-1815 vulnerability poses a significant security risk to WordPress websites using the Spectra – WordPress Gutenberg Blocks plugin. Updating the plugin to version 2.12.9 or higher is critical to ensure the security of your website. Be cautious when granting contributor-level access, and regularly monitor your site to prevent exploitation of such vulnerabilities.

Timeline

Published on: 05/23/2024 11:15:23 UTC
Last modified on: 06/04/2024 18:00:46 UTC