CVE-2024-10152 in Simple Certain Time to Show Content Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/26/2025
The Simple Certain Time to Show Content WordPress plugin before 1.3.1 does not sanitise and escape a parameter before outputting it back in the page, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting which could be used against high privilege users such as admin.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-10152 affects the Simple Certain Time to Show Content WordPress plugin version 1.3.1 and earlier, presenting a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw that poses significant risks to administrative users. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the plugin's codebase, specifically in how it handles user-supplied parameters that are subsequently reflected back to the browser without proper escaping mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the plugin fails to sanitize a parameter that is directly incorporated into the HTML output of the web page. This parameter, likely originating from a GET request or similar user input method, is processed without appropriate escaping or sanitization routines that would prevent malicious scripts from being executed in the context of a victim's browser. The flaw manifests as a reflected XSS vulnerability because the malicious payload is reflected back to the user through the web application's response, making it particularly dangerous for targeted attacks against privileged users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, particularly when considering that it specifically targets high-privilege users such as administrators. An attacker could craft malicious URLs containing JavaScript payloads that would execute in the browser of any administrator who clicks on the link or visits a page containing the malicious parameter. This scenario enables attackers to potentially hijack administrator sessions, execute arbitrary commands, modify content, or escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need to persist their malicious code within the application itself, making detection more challenging and the attack surface more extensive.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on victim systems. This weakness represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and output escaping, where the plugin fails to implement proper security measures to prevent the execution of untrusted input as code. The risk is amplified in WordPress environments where administrators often have extensive privileges and access to sensitive data and system configurations.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate upgrade to version 1.3.1 or later of the Simple Certain Time to Show Content plugin, as this release presumably contains the necessary patches to address the sanitization and escaping issues. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation at multiple layers of the application, including the use of output escaping functions before any user-controllable data is rendered in HTML contexts. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth, though the most effective solution remains the patching of the vulnerable plugin to ensure proper sanitization of all user-supplied parameters before they are reflected back to the browser.