CVE-2021-24746 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

The CVE-2021-24746 relates to a vulnerability found in the Social Sharing Plugin - Sassy Social Share WordPress Plugin version less than 3.3.40 which could allow a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack when a specific option is enabled.

Understanding CVE-2021-24746

This section will delve into the details of the CVE-2021-24746 vulnerability.

What is CVE-2021-24746?

The CVE-2021-24746 vulnerability is identified in the Social Sharing Plugin - Sassy Social Share WordPress Plugin version before 3.3.40. It arises due to an inadequate escaping of the viewed post URL when the 'Enable 'More' icon' option is activated, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting issue.

The Impact of CVE-2021-24746

Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of an unsuspecting user's browser, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data theft.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-24746

This section will provide a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of CVE-2021-24746.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability occurs due to improper handling of the viewed post URL in the onclick attribute, specifically when the 'Enable 'More' icon' option is chosen, leaving the system vulnerable to XSS attacks.

Affected Systems and Versions

The CVE-2021-24746 vulnerability impacts versions of the Social Sharing Plugin - Sassy Social Share WordPress Plugin that are earlier than 3.3.40.

Exploitation Mechanism

By exploiting this vulnerability, threat actors can inject and execute malicious scripts within the context of a user's session, potentially compromising sensitive data.

Mitigation and Prevention

In this section, we will explore the necessary steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2021-24746.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update the Social Sharing Plugin - Sassy Social Share WordPress Plugin to version 3.3.40 or newer to eliminate the vulnerability. Additionally, disabling the 'More' icon option can also prevent exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing secure coding practices and conducting regular security audits can help prevent similar XSS vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security patches and updates provided by plugin developers is crucial to maintaining a secure WordPress environment.