CVE-2020-36704 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

CVE-2020-36704, assigned by Wordfence, pertains to a Stored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in the Fruitful Theme for WordPress.

Understanding CVE-2020-36704

This CVE involves a security issue in the Fruitful WordPress theme that allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts.

What is CVE-2020-36704?

The vulnerability in the Fruitful Theme for WordPress enables attackers with specific permissions to insert harmful web scripts into pages, leading to potential script execution when accessed by users.

The Impact of CVE-2020-36704

The vulnerability poses a medium severity risk, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary scripts on affected WordPress sites.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-36704

The technical aspects of the CVE provide insight into the vulnerability's description, affected systems, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

Insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the fruitful_theme_options_action AJAX action allow for Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to 3.8.1 of the Fruitful Theme for WordPress.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: fruitfulcode
Product: Fruitful
Versions affected: up to 3.8.1

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers with subscriber-level permissions and above can exploit the vulnerability by injecting malicious scripts through specific parameters.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2020-36704, immediate steps and long-term security practices are crucial.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update the Fruitful Theme to version 3.8.2 or higher to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor for any unauthorized script injections or suspicious activities on WordPress sites.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly audit and sanitize user inputs and outputs to prevent Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities.
Educate users on safe practices to minimize the risk of successful attacks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely installation of security patches and updates for WordPress themes and plugins to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.