CVE-2024-29768 in Astra Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/27/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Brainstorm Force Astra allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Astra: from n/a through 4.6.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-29768 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Brainstorm Force Astra theme, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS vulnerability that can compromise user sessions and execute malicious code within the context of affected websites. This weakness resides in the improper neutralization of input during web page generation processes, creating an avenue for attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist and execute across multiple user interactions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when malicious input is accepted and stored within the theme's database or configuration files without proper sanitization or encoding. When legitimate users access pages that render this stored content, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability affects all versions of Astra from the initial release through version 4.6.4, indicating a prolonged exposure window that increases the likelihood of exploitation.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents significant risks to websites utilizing the Astra theme, particularly those with user-generated content or administrative interfaces that rely on the theme's functionality. Attackers can leverage this flaw to establish persistent backdoors, steal administrator credentials, manipulate website content, or redirect users to malicious domains. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once exploited, the malicious scripts remain active until manually removed, potentially affecting multiple users over extended periods.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious content delivery. Security practitioners should prioritize immediate remediation by updating to version 4.6.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to neutralize the input validation gaps. Additional mitigations include implementing robust content security policies, conducting regular security audits of user input handling, and monitoring for suspicious script injection patterns in web application logs.
Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, while maintaining comprehensive backup strategies to ensure rapid recovery in case of successful exploitation. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the updated theme to ensure compatibility with existing website functionality and security configurations. Regular security assessments of third-party themes and plugins remain essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities from compromising web infrastructure security posture.