CVE-2024-1842 in Visual Composer Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/02/2024
The wpbakery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the Custom Heading tag attribute in all versions up to, and including, 7.5 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor access or higher, 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 • 05/29/2025
The wpbakery plugin vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-1842 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting weakness that undermines the security posture of WordPress installations. This vulnerability specifically affects versions up to and including 7.5 of the popular page builder plugin, which is widely used across the WordPress ecosystem. The flaw resides in the plugin's handling of the Custom Heading tag attribute, where inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms fail to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied data. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only contributor-level access or higher, making it accessible to users who should normally have limited privileges within the WordPress administrative interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user input when processing the Custom Heading tag attribute. When an authenticated attacker with contributor permissions or higher creates or modifies content using the wpbakery editor, they can inject malicious JavaScript code into the heading tag parameter. This code is then stored within the WordPress database and subsequently executed whenever any user accesses pages containing the injected content. The vulnerability operates as a stored XSS attack because the malicious script is permanently saved in the database rather than being reflected in HTTP responses, making it persistently dangerous. This weakness directly maps to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as the failure to properly escape output, and more specifically to CWE-80 which addresses the improper neutralization of script in a context where it is expected to be treated as data.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-1842 extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive user data and system resources. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, they can perform actions such as stealing user session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, defacing content, or even executing more sophisticated attacks like privilege escalation. The vulnerability's accessibility to contributor-level users means that even organizations with relatively strict user permission policies could be compromised if a malicious contributor gains access to the system. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where content creators might have elevated privileges for legitimate content management purposes. The attack vector follows typical ATT&CK techniques for credential access and execution, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistent access through session hijacking or by leveraging the compromised user's permissions to escalate privileges within the WordPress environment.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to protect their WordPress installations. The primary recommendation involves updating to the latest version of the wpbakery plugin where the XSS vulnerability has been patched, though this requires careful testing to ensure compatibility with existing content. Additionally, administrators should implement strict input validation at the application level, particularly for all user-supplied content that gets processed through the wpbakery editor. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. User access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only trusted individuals have contributor or higher privileges, and regular security audits should be conducted to identify any previously injected malicious content. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing Content Security Policy headers and proper output escaping mechanisms across all WordPress plugins and themes to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.