CVE-2020-24313 : Security Advisory and Response

Etoile Web Design Ultimate Appointment Booking & Scheduling WordPress Plugin v1.1.9 and lower is vulnerable to reflected XSS due to unsanitized input handling.

Understanding CVE-2020-24313

This CVE involves a security vulnerability in the Ultimate Appointment Booking & Scheduling WordPress Plugin.

What is CVE-2020-24313?

The plugin fails to properly sanitize user input, specifically the "Appointment_ID" GET parameter, leading to a reflected XSS risk.

The Impact of CVE-2020-24313

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of a user's browser, potentially compromising sensitive data or performing unauthorized actions.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-24313

The technical aspects of the vulnerability are outlined below.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from the plugin's failure to sanitize the "Appointment_ID" GET parameter before displaying it in an input tag, enabling XSS attacks.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Etoile Web Design Ultimate Appointment Booking & Scheduling WordPress Plugin
Versions affected: v1.1.9 and lower

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can craft URLs containing malicious scripts that, when clicked by users with the vulnerable plugin, execute the scripts in their browsers.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-24313 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Disable or uninstall the vulnerable plugin version immediately.
Regularly monitor for security updates or patches from the plugin developer.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement input validation and output encoding to prevent XSS vulnerabilities.
Educate users on safe browsing practices to avoid clicking on suspicious links.

Patching and Updates

Update to the latest secure version of the Ultimate Appointment Booking & Scheduling WordPress Plugin to mitigate the vulnerability.