CVE-2024-2801 in Shopkeeper Extender Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/12/2024
The Shopkeeper Extender plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'image_slide' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 3.5 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 • 06/08/2026
The Shopkeeper Extender plugin for WordPress presents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that affects all versions through 3.5, creating a significant security risk for WordPress installations. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's 'image_slide' shortcode implementation and stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms that fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied attributes. The flaw allows authenticated attackers who possess contributor-level access or higher privileges to inject malicious scripts into web pages, which will execute automatically whenever any user accesses those compromised pages. The vulnerability represents a classic stored XSS attack vector where malicious input is permanently stored on the server and subsequently served to other users without proper sanitization, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where contributors and higher-level roles can manipulate content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows established patterns for stored XSS attacks and aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding. Attackers with contributor-level privileges can leverage the 'image_slide' shortcode to inject malicious JavaScript code through parameters that control image display functionality, bypassing standard WordPress security measures that typically protect against such attacks. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it requires minimal privileges to exploit, making it accessible to users who should normally have restricted content management capabilities. This creates a privilege escalation scenario where users with relatively low access levels can compromise the entire site's security by injecting scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other harmful actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks within the WordPress environment. When authenticated users access pages containing the injected scripts, the malicious code executes in their browser context, potentially allowing attackers to harvest sensitive information, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, or establish persistent access through session hijacking techniques. The vulnerability's persistence stems from the stored nature of the XSS payload, meaning that once injected, the malicious code remains active until manually removed from the database or the plugin is updated. This makes it particularly challenging to detect and remediate, as the injected scripts can remain dormant for extended periods before being triggered by unsuspecting users. The attack surface is further expanded because the vulnerability affects all users who access pages containing the compromised shortcode, creating a potential for widespread compromise within WordPress installations that utilize this plugin.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the input sanitization and output escaping deficiencies, as recommended by WordPress security best practices and aligned with ATT&CK technique T1059.1001 for command and scripting interpreter execution. Administrators should implement additional security measures including input validation at multiple layers, output encoding for all user-supplied content, and regular security audits of installed plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by restricting contributor-level access to plugin functionality and implementing content security policies to prevent script execution in web browsers. Regular security monitoring and vulnerability scanning should be employed to detect similar issues in other plugins and themes, as this vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor input validation gaps can create significant security risks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to provide additional protection against XSS attacks and establish incident response procedures for handling such vulnerabilities.