CVE-2021-24315 in GiveWP Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/17/2021
The GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform WordPress plugin before 2.10.4 did not sanitise or escape the Background Image field of its Stripe Checkout Setting and Logo field in its Email settings, leading to authenticated (admin+) Stored XSS issues.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-24315 affects the GiveWP WordPress plugin, a popular donation plugin and fundraising platform that has been widely adopted for managing charitable contributions and online fundraising campaigns. This security flaw exists in versions prior to 2.10.4 and represents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that can be exploited by authenticated users with administrator or higher privileges. The vulnerability specifically targets two distinct input fields within the plugin's administrative interface, creating opportunities for persistent malicious code execution within the context of affected WordPress installations.
The technical flaw manifests in two separate locations within the plugin's settings management system. The first vulnerability occurs in the Stripe Checkout Settings section where the Background Image field lacks proper sanitization and escaping mechanisms for user-provided input. The second vulnerability exists in the Email settings where the Logo field suffers from similar sanitization deficiencies. Both fields accept user input that is subsequently stored in the WordPress database and rendered without adequate output encoding, creating conditions where malicious scripts can be persisted and executed when administrators or other users view these settings pages. This represents a classic stored XSS vulnerability pattern where malicious payloads are injected into the application's data storage layer and then executed in the browser context of legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on GiveWP for their fundraising operations. An authenticated attacker with administrator privileges can inject malicious JavaScript code into the Background Image or Logo fields, which will then execute whenever administrators access the plugin settings pages. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be used to escalate privileges, steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other malicious activities within the context of the compromised WordPress installation. The vulnerability undermines the trust model of the WordPress admin interface and can potentially lead to complete compromise of the affected website, especially if the administrator's session is not properly secured with additional protections like two-factor authentication or secure session management practices.
Organizations should immediately update to GiveWP version 2.10.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the patch addresses the sanitization issues in both affected input fields. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 Cross-site Scripting and follows the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, specifically focusing on the execution of malicious scripts through web application interfaces. Security administrators should also implement additional monitoring of plugin settings changes and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output escaping in web applications, particularly in administrative interfaces where privileged users interact with potentially untrusted data sources. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify other plugins or themes that may be vulnerable to similar sanitization issues, as the attack surface extends beyond this single plugin to include any component that fails to properly validate user input before storage and rendering.