CVE-2021-24681 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Learn about CVE-2021-24681 affecting WordPress Duplicate Page plugin <= 4.4.2. Understand the XSS risk, impact, and mitigation steps for secure WordPress administration.
WordPress plugin Duplicate Page version 4.4.2 and below are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks, allowing high privilege users to exploit settings.
Understanding CVE-2021-24681
This CVE identifies a security vulnerability in the Duplicate Page WordPress plugin version 4.4.2 and prior.
What is CVE-2021-24681?
The Duplicate Page plugin, up to version 4.4.2, fails to properly sanitize or escape Duplicate Post Suffix settings, enabling high-privilege users to execute Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks, even when unfiltered_html capability is restricted.
The Impact of CVE-2021-24681
The vulnerability can be exploited by malicious users to inject and execute arbitrary scripts within the admin interface, leading to potential data theft, account hijacking, or website defacement.
Technical Details of CVE-2021-24681
The technical details of the CVE outline the vulnerability description, affected systems, and the exploitation mechanism.
Vulnerability Description
Duplicate Page plugin, up to version 4.4.2, does not properly sanitize user input for Duplicate Post Suffix settings, facilitating Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks by high-privilege users even with restricted capabilities.
Affected Systems and Versions
Systems running Duplicate Page plugin versions equal to and below 4.4.2 are vulnerable to this XSS exploit.
Exploitation Mechanism
Exploitation involves manipulating the Duplicate Post Suffix settings, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that are executed in the context of an admin user.
Mitigation and Prevention
To address CVE-2021-24681, immediate action, long-term security practices, and the importance of patching and updates are essential.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Disable the Duplicate Page plugin if not in use
- Implement strict input validation and output sanitization
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update plugins to the latest secure versions
- Enforce the principle of least privilege for user capabilities
Patching and Updates
WordPress site administrators should update the Duplicate Page plugin to versions beyond 4.4.2 to mitigate the XSS vulnerability.