CVE-2021-24313 in WP Prayer Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/02/2021
The WP Prayer WordPress plugin before 1.6.2 provides the functionality to store requested prayers/praises and list them on a WordPress website. These stored prayer/praise requests can be listed by using the WP Prayer engine. An authenticated WordPress user with any role can fill in the form to request a prayer. The form to request prayers or praises have several fields. The 'prayer request' and 'praise request' fields do not use proper input validation and can be used to store XSS payloads.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-24313 affects the WP Prayer WordPress plugin version 1.6.1 and earlier, presenting a significant cross-site scripting weakness that undermines the security of websites utilizing this plugin. This vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's prayer and praise request functionality, which serves as a mechanism for users to submit spiritual requests that are subsequently stored and displayed on the website. The plugin's design intentionally allows any authenticated WordPress user regardless of their role to submit prayer or praise requests through a dedicated form interface, creating an attack surface that malicious users can exploit to compromise the security of the entire WordPress installation.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the plugin's form processing logic, particularly affecting the 'prayer request' and 'praise request' fields. These specific input fields fail to implement proper sanitization or validation mechanisms that would normally prevent malicious code from being stored in the database. When users submit content through these fields, the plugin accepts the input without adequately filtering or escaping potentially dangerous characters and script tags that could contain malicious payloads. This lack of input validation creates a persistent cross-site scripting vulnerability where attackers can inject malicious JavaScript code that executes whenever the stored requests are displayed on the website. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a Cross-Site Scripting flaw, specifically manifesting as stored XSS, where malicious scripts are stored on the server and executed against unsuspecting users who view the affected content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with a potential foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the WordPress environment. When an authenticated user submits malicious content through the prayer request form, the payload becomes permanently stored within the plugin's database and displayed on the website's prayer/praise listing pages. This creates a persistent threat where any visitor to the site who views these pages becomes a potential victim of the stored XSS attack. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges to exploit, as any authenticated user can submit prayer requests, making it accessible to both legitimate users who might be compromised and malicious actors who gain access to user accounts. The stored nature of the XSS payload means that the attack persists even after the initial submission, creating a long-term security risk that could be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-24313 primarily focus on updating the WP Prayer plugin to version 1.6.2 or later, which includes proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should immediately implement patch management procedures to ensure all instances of the vulnerable plugin are updated across their WordPress installations. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing content security policies that limit script execution within the plugin's output areas, though this serves as a supplementary defense rather than a complete solution. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications, particularly for plugins that handle user-generated content, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for data from information repositories, as attackers can leverage stored data to execute malicious scripts. Regular security auditing of WordPress plugins and maintaining updated security practices remain essential defensive measures against similar vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem.