CVE-2024-35708 in Rife Free Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/08/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in apollo13themes Rife Free allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Rife Free: from n/a through 2.4.19.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-35708 represents a critical security flaw in the apollo13themes Rife Free WordPress theme that enables stored cross-site scripting attacks. This weakness falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS vulnerability that allows malicious actors to inject persistent malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability exists within the theme's input handling mechanisms during web page generation processes, where user-supplied data is not properly sanitized or escaped before being rendered in the output.
The technical flaw occurs when the Rife Free theme fails to adequately neutralize user input that gets stored and subsequently displayed in web pages. This improper input handling creates an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through various input fields within the theme's administrative interface or front-end forms. When other users access pages that contain this stored malicious content, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised systems. The vulnerability affects all versions of the Rife Free theme from the initial release through version 2.4.19, indicating a long-standing issue that has not been properly addressed.
The operational impact of this stored XSS vulnerability is significant for websites utilizing the affected theme, as it provides attackers with persistent access to user sessions and potentially full administrative control over compromised sites. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code in the context of affected users' browsers, enabling them to steal cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once malicious input is injected, it remains persistent and affects all users who view the compromised pages until the malicious content is removed or the theme is updated. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple administrators or users interact with the theme's input fields, as it can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate action to update to the latest version of the Rife Free theme where the XSS issue has been resolved. System administrators should also implement additional defensive measures such as Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. Input validation and output encoding should be strengthened throughout the theme's codebase to ensure all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the WordPress ecosystem. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious input and T1071.001 for application layer protocol usage, making it a critical target for both defensive and offensive security operations.