CVE-2024-2256 in oik Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/14/2024
The oik plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's shortcodes such as bw_contact_button and bw_button shortcodes in all versions up to, and including, 4.10.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with contributor-level and above permissions 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 • 04/13/2026
The CVE-2024-2256 vulnerability affects the oik plugin for WordPress, a widely used plugin that provides various shortcode functionality for creating buttons, contact forms, and other interactive elements on websites. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that has been present in all versions up to and including 4.10.0, making it a significant concern for WordPress administrators and security professionals who rely on this plugin for their website functionality. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's shortcodes, particularly bw_contact_button and bw_button, which are commonly used to generate interactive elements on WordPress sites. The flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms that fail to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied attributes before they are processed and rendered within web pages. This allows malicious actors to inject malicious scripts that can execute in the context of other users' browsers when they access pages containing the vulnerable shortcodes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which represents Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in web applications. This classification indicates that the vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users, creating a persistent threat that can affect multiple users over time. The vulnerability's exploitation requires authenticated access with contributor-level permissions or higher, which means that attackers must first gain access to a WordPress account with sufficient privileges to create or modify content. However, this requirement does not mitigate the risk significantly since contributors often have the ability to publish posts and pages, making it relatively straightforward for attackers to gain the necessary access through various means such as credential theft, social engineering, or exploiting other vulnerabilities in the WordPress installation. The attack vector specifically targets the plugin's shortcode processing functionality, where user-provided attributes are not properly sanitized before being rendered in HTML output.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities that compromise user data and website integrity. When an authenticated attacker injects malicious scripts through the vulnerable shortcodes, these scripts will execute whenever any user accesses a page containing the injected content, potentially leading to session hijacking, data exfiltration, or redirection to malicious websites. The persistent nature of stored XSS vulnerabilities means that the injected scripts remain active until the malicious content is removed from the website, allowing attackers to maintain access to users' sessions or steal sensitive information over extended periods. This vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users access the same WordPress installation, as the malicious scripts can affect all users who view affected pages, potentially compromising the security of entire user bases. The impact is further amplified by the fact that many WordPress sites rely heavily on plugins like oik for their interactive features, making the attack surface larger and more pervasive across different website types and industries.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates to versions that address the sanitization and escaping issues. Administrators should prioritize updating to the latest available version of the oik plugin that contains the necessary security patches. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's shortcode processing functions would prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. Security measures should also include monitoring user activity for unauthorized content modifications and implementing role-based access controls that limit the ability of lower-privilege users to inject content that could affect other users. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1546.001, which deals with "Setuid and Setgid" and related techniques, although in this case the vulnerability is more accurately classified under T1059.001 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter" due to the script injection nature of the attack. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers as an additional defense-in-depth measure to prevent the execution of unauthorized scripts, even if such vulnerabilities are present in the system. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes, along with maintaining updated security practices and user access controls, are essential for preventing exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other components of the WordPress ecosystem.