CVE-2024-12156 in AI Content Writer, RSS Feed to Post, Autoblogging SEO Help plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2024
The AI Content Writer, RSS Feed to Post, Autoblogging SEO Help plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the 'page' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 6.1.3 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute if they can successfully trick a user into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-12156 affects the AI Content Writer, RSS Feed to Post, Autoblogging SEO Help plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 6.1.3. This represents a critical security flaw that exploits the plugin's insufficient input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within its handling of the 'page' parameter. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a common and dangerous weakness in web applications where user-supplied data is not properly validated or escaped before being rendered in web pages.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's page parameter through a reflected XSS vector. When an attacker crafts a malicious URL containing script code within the 'page' parameter and successfully convinces a user to click on this link, the script executes in the victim's browser context. This occurs because the plugin fails to sanitize the input parameter before echoing it back in the HTML response, creating an environment where attacker-controlled content can be executed without proper validation or escaping. The reflected nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious script is reflected off the web server rather than being stored, making it particularly dangerous for targeted attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with a potential foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the WordPress environment. An unauthenticated attacker can leverage this vulnerability to perform actions such as stealing user session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or executing malicious scripts that could compromise the entire WordPress installation. The vulnerability's exploitation requires social engineering to trick users into clicking malicious links, but once exploited, it could lead to complete compromise of user accounts and potentially the entire WordPress site. This type of attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments and T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, as the injected scripts could be used to execute further malicious activities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 6.1.4 or later, which contains the necessary input sanitization and output escaping fixes. Administrators should also implement additional security measures including input validation at multiple layers, proper output escaping for all dynamic content, and monitoring for suspicious parameter values in web server logs. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output escaping as outlined in OWASP Top 10 A03:2021 - Injection, which emphasizes that applications must properly validate and sanitize all user inputs to prevent injection attacks including XSS. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth, though the primary remediation must come from updating the vulnerable plugin to a secure version.