CVE-2024-11775 in Particle Background Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/20/2024
The Particle Background plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'particleground' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-11775 affects the Particle Background plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 1.0.2. This represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of WordPress installations by enabling stored cross-site scripting attacks through the plugin's particleground shortcode functionality. The vulnerability resides in the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user input and escape output, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by attackers with relatively low privileges.
The technical flaw manifests through insufficient input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the particleground shortcode implementation. When authenticated users with contributor-level access or higher submit content containing malicious scripts through the plugin's attributes, these inputs are not properly validated or escaped before being stored and subsequently executed. This creates a stored XSS vector where malicious code persists in the database and executes whenever any user accesses pages containing the compromised shortcode. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of user-supplied attributes, making it particularly dangerous as it leverages legitimate plugin functionality to deliver malicious payloads.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with persistent access to compromised WordPress installations. Contributors and above can inject scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially enabling session hijacking, data theft, or further exploitation of the compromised environment. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once injected, malicious scripts will execute for any user who accesses affected pages, creating a persistent threat that can be leveraged for extended periods. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and undermines the security boundaries within WordPress installations.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of the Particle Background plugin, implementing robust input validation at multiple layers, and conducting comprehensive security reviews of all installed plugins. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the principle of input validation and output escaping as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. Administrators should also consider implementing content security policies and monitoring for unauthorized shortcode usage to detect potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can leverage the stored XSS to execute malicious scripts and potentially escalate privileges through browser-based attacks.