CVE-2024-11781 in Smart Agenda Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2024
The Smart Agenda – Prise de rendez-vous en ligne plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'smartagenda' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 4.6 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 • 02/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-11781 affects the Smart Agenda – Prise de rendez-vous en ligne plugin for WordPress, representing a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw that undermines web application security. This vulnerability exists within the plugin's 'smartagenda' shortcode implementation and impacts all versions through 4.6, making it a persistent threat to WordPress installations that rely on this scheduling solution. The flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization and insufficient output escaping mechanisms that fail to properly validate or encode user-supplied attributes before processing them within the plugin's functionality.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it squarely within the scope of CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications. The vulnerability operates as a stored XSS attack because the malicious scripts are permanently stored within the application's database or storage systems and executed whenever affected pages are accessed by unsuspecting users. This particular implementation flaw occurs specifically within the plugin's shortcode processing logic where user-provided parameters are directly incorporated into the output without proper sanitization measures.
Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can exploit this vulnerability to inject arbitrary web scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. This privilege escalation capability significantly amplifies the potential impact since contributors typically have the ability to create and edit posts, making them legitimate users with access to the WordPress administration interface. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages the legitimate functionality of the shortcode system to deliver malicious payloads that can persist across multiple user sessions and page views.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to encompass potential data theft, session hijacking, and further attack escalation. When compromised users access pages containing the injected scripts, these malicious payloads can capture sensitive information, manipulate user sessions, or redirect users to malicious websites. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, the payload will execute automatically for any user who accesses the affected pages, creating a persistent threat that can affect multiple users over time. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which describes the use of malicious content to execute attacks through various entry points.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the latest plugin version where available, implementing proper input validation at the application level, and conducting thorough security audits of all WordPress plugins. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of principle of least privilege in WordPress installations, where contributor-level users should not be granted unnecessary permissions that could enable such attacks. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers and regular security monitoring can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while maintaining up-to-date backups ensures rapid recovery in case of successful compromise.