CVE-2024-2220: Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability in Button Contact VR WordPress Plugin through 4.7

The Button Contact VR WordPress plugin (versions up to and including 4.7) is found to be vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. This vulnerability allows high privilege users, such as administrators, to inject malicious scripts into the website, potentially compromising the security and integrity of the site and its visitors. The plugin's failure to sanitize and escape its settings makes it susceptible to such attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed, like in a multisite setup.

For the uninitiated, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks occur when an attacker injects malicious scripts into a website, which then run on the victim's browser. Depending on the attacker's goals, the effects of XSS attacks may range from stealing sensitive information to defacing websites or launching further attacks on visitors and the site itself.

Exploit Details

The Button Contact VR WordPress plugin’s vulnerability specifically lies in its settings, which it does not sanitize and escape. The plugin’s settings include the button’s “text” option, which allows the user to specify the text displayed on the button. The vulnerability allows an attacker, with high privilege access, to inject malicious JavaScript code into this field. Once it is injected, the malicious code will execute on the website, allowing an attacker to compromise the site's integrity and security.

A simple example of a malicious script that could be injected into the button's "text" field

<button onclick="alert('XSS Attack!')">Click Me</button>

When this injected button is displayed on the WordPress site, an alert will pop up with the message "XSS Attack!" when clicked. While this is just a harmless demonstration, an attacker can inject more sophisticated and dangerous scripts to achieve their goals.

Links to Original References

The official Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database is an authoritative source of information on known security vulnerabilities, available at: CVE-2024-2220

For more details on XSS and other types of web vulnerabilities, the OWASP Top Ten Project offers valuable information, available at: OWASP Top Ten

To learn more about the Button Contact VR WordPress plugin, visit the WordPress Plugin Repository: Button Contact VR Plugin

Mitigation Measures

To protect your WordPress site from this vulnerability, it is essential to update the Button Contact VR plugin to the latest version. The developers have released version 4.8, addressing this security vulnerability by properly sanitizing and escaping the settings to prevent Stored XSS attacks. If you are unable to update immediately, temporarily disabling the plugin can also prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.

In addition, adopting general WordPress security practices, such as using strong passwords, limiting user privileges, and keeping all plugins up-to-date, can reduce the likelihood of a successful attack.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-2220 highlights the importance of ensuring the security of WordPress sites by keeping plugins updated and adhering to best security practices. Updating the Button Contact VR WordPress plugin to version 4.8 or higher is essential to fix this vulnerability, and site administrators are encouraged to adopt and maintain proactive security measures to protect their sites from potential attacks.

Timeline

Published on: 05/23/2024 06:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 07/03/2024 01:53:05 UTC