CVE-2024-1846: Critical Security Flaw Found in Responsive Tabs WordPress Plugin versions before 4..7 - Stored Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability

A CVE-2024-1846 vulnerability has been discovered in the Responsive Tabs WordPress plugin versions before 4..7. This vulnerability would allow users with the 'contributor' role and above to exploit and execute stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. This situation is highly critical as this vulnerability has a significant impact on a website's security and can open up the potential for data theft, website defacement, and other serious implications. This article provides insight into the vulnerability, details of the exploit, and references for further action.

Background

The Responsive Tabs WordPress plugin is a widely used plugin for managing navigational tabs on a website in a responsive and visually appealing manner. With thousands of active installations, any security flaw in the plugin can potentially affect a large population of websites. The flaw addressed in this article is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability.

Vulnerability Details

The discovered vulnerability is classified as a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability, specifically in the way the Responsive Tabs WordPress plugin handles its shortcode attributes before rendering them on a page or a post. In versions before 4..7, the plugin does not properly validate and sanitize its shortcode attributes. This allows stored malicious code to be embedded into a website's content by users with the contributor role and above, with the potential to execute the code whenever the content is viewed or rendered.

Here is a code snippet illustrating the issue in the plugin code before version 4..7

// Unsafe attributes handling
$attributes = shortcode_atts(
    array(
        // ...
        'tabcolor' => '',
        'content' => '',
    ),
    $atts
);
...
?>
<div class="responsive-tabs" style="background-color:<?php echo $attributes['tabcolor']; ?>">
    <?php echo do_shortcode($attributes['content']); ?>
</div>

In the above code, the tabcolor and content attributes of the shortcode_atts function are not validated and sanitized before being outputted back on the webpage. This causes the vulnerability to occur.

Exploit Details

Utilizing this vulnerability, users with the contributor role and above can insert malicious code into the content of a post or page by leveraging the improperly handled shortcode attributes. Here is an example of an attack payload:

[responsive-tabs tabcolor="<script>alert('XSS Attack');</script>"]

When this payload is embedded within a post or a page, the browser will execute the malicious script whenever the content containing the payload is viewed or rendered.

Mitigation Steps

To resolve this security flaw, it is highly recommended to update the Responsive Tabs WordPress plugin to version 4..7 or later. The latest version contains necessary fixes to address this vulnerability by properly validating and escaping the shortcode attributes before outputting them on the webpage. Additionally, it is always a good practice to keep all your plugins up-to-date to ensure maximum security.

For further information and details on this vulnerability, please visit the following resources

1. CVE-2024-1846 Official CVE Record
2. Responsive Tabs WordPress Plugin Changelog
3. WordPress Plugins Security Advisory - WPScan

Conclusion

The Responsive Tabs WordPress plugin's vulnerability poses a critical security risk that requires immediate attention. By updating your plugin to version 4..7 or later, the vulnerability can be mitigated effectively. It is essential to stay vigilant about the security of your WordPress plugins and to follow best practices for keeping your website safe.

Timeline

Published on: 04/15/2024 05:15:15 UTC
Last modified on: 04/15/2024 13:15:31 UTC