CVE-2021-24712 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

This article discusses CVE-2021-24712, a vulnerability in the Appointment Hour Booking WordPress plugin before version 1.3.17 that leads to an Authenticated Stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) issue.

Understanding CVE-2021-24712

This section delves into the details of the vulnerability, its impact, technical aspects, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2021-24712?

The Appointment Hour Booking WordPress plugin before version 1.3.17 fails to properly sanitize input data during the creation of new calendars, leaving the system vulnerable to an Authenticated Stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) attack.

The Impact of CVE-2021-24712

This vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's calendar creation process, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data theft, and other harmful activities.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-24712

In this section, we explore the specifics of the vulnerability, including its description, affected systems, versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from inadequate input sanitization in the Appointment Hour Booking WordPress plugin before version 1.3.17, enabling attackers to insert and execute arbitrary scripts through crafted calendar entries.

Affected Systems and Versions

The CVE-2021-24712 affects versions of the Appointment Hour Booking WordPress plugin prior to 1.3.17, making systems with these versions susceptible to the XSS exploit.

Exploitation Mechanism

By utilizing the lack of proper input filtering, threat actors with authenticated access can insert malicious code within calendar data, resulting in script execution within the application's context.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines steps to address and prevent exploitation of CVE-2021-24712, enhancing system security.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users should update the Appointment Hour Booking plugin to version 1.3.17 or newer immediately to mitigate the XSS vulnerability and prevent potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement secure coding practices, conduct regular security assessments, and educate users on the risks of XSS attacks to maintain a robust defense posture against such threats.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates and patches for the Appointment Hour Booking plugin, ensuring timely installation of fixes to safeguard systems from known vulnerabilities.