CVE-2024-10145 in Hubbub Lite Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/16/2025
The Hubbub Lite WordPress plugin before 1.34.4 does not sanitise and escape some of its settings, which could allow high privilege users such as admin to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed (for example in multisite setup).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-10145 affects the Hubbub Lite WordPress plugin version 1.34.3 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the plugin's input validation and output escaping mechanisms. This issue specifically targets the plugin's handling of user settings, where insufficient sanitization allows malicious code to persist within the application's configuration parameters. The flaw is particularly concerning because it enables stored cross-site scripting attacks that can bypass WordPress's default security measures, including the restriction on unfiltered_html capability that typically protects against such exploits in multisite environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-provided input before storing it in the WordPress database and subsequently rendering it in the administrative interface. When high-privilege users such as administrators interact with the plugin's settings page, any malicious script code entered into configurable fields gets stored without adequate escaping or validation. This stored data is then re-rendered in subsequent administrative interfaces, creating a persistent XSS vector that can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of other administrators' browsers. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.002 for privilege escalation through malicious code execution in administrative contexts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, steal administrative sessions, or manipulate the plugin's functionality to compromise the entire WordPress installation. In multisite configurations where the unfiltered_html capability is intentionally restricted, this vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous as it circumvents these security controls that are designed to prevent stored XSS attacks. The attack surface is further expanded when considering that administrators may be tricked into viewing maliciously crafted settings through social engineering or by exploiting other vulnerabilities that allow them to modify plugin configurations. The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege and input validation, where the plugin assumes that user input is safe without proper sanitization before persistence.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching to version 1.34.4 or later, which addresses the sanitization and escaping deficiencies in the plugin's settings handling. Administrators should also implement additional monitoring of plugin configuration changes and conduct regular security audits of WordPress installations to identify similar vulnerabilities in other third-party plugins. The remediation process should include reviewing all plugin settings for proper input validation and output escaping, particularly in administrative interfaces where privileged users interact with configurable parameters. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to provide additional protection against XSS attacks, though this should not be considered a substitute for proper input sanitization within the application itself. Security teams must ensure that all administrative interfaces follow secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in custom or third-party WordPress plugins, as the attack vector demonstrates the critical importance of proper input handling in privileged contexts.