CVE-2024-29130 in Contact Form 7 Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/19/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Scott Paterson Contact Form 7 – PayPal & Stripe Add-on allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects Contact Form 7 – PayPal & Stripe Add-on: from n/a through 2.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-29130 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness within the Scott Paterson Contact Form 7 – PayPal & Stripe Add-on plugin for WordPress. This reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability arises from inadequate input sanitization during web page generation processes, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by unsuspecting users. The flaw specifically manifests when the plugin processes user input through reflected parameters, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly neutralize user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. According to CWE-79, this represents a classic reflected cross-site scripting flaw where malicious input is immediately reflected back to users without proper encoding or sanitization. The vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin from the initial release through version 2.0, indicating a persistent flaw that has not been adequately addressed in the affected codebase. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload must be crafted to target specific URL parameters or form fields that are then echoed back to the user's browser without proper security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, manipulate web page content, or redirect users to malicious websites. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious URLs containing XSS payloads that, when clicked by a victim, will execute within the victim's browser context with the privileges of the logged-in user. This poses significant risks to both end users and administrators who may be authenticated to the WordPress site, potentially allowing for complete compromise of user accounts and unauthorized access to sensitive data processed through the contact form functionality.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which describes the use of malicious links to deliver payloads through phishing attacks. The remediation strategy must include immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 2.1 or later, where the input sanitization issues have been addressed. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as web application firewalls, content security policies, and regular security scanning of their WordPress installations to identify similar vulnerabilities. The fix typically involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms that ensure all user-supplied data is appropriately escaped before being rendered in web page contexts, thereby preventing the execution of malicious scripts.