CVE-2024-37551 in Simple Social Share Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/21/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Perials Simple Social Share allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Simple Social Share: from n/a through 3.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-37551 represents a critical security flaw in the Perials Simple Social Share plugin, specifically manifesting as an improper neutralization of input during web page generation. This weakness falls squarely within the category of cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, more precisely categorized as stored XSS attacks that can persist across user sessions. The vulnerability exists in the plugin's handling of user-supplied data during the generation of web pages, where input validation and sanitization mechanisms fail to properly process or escape potentially malicious content. The affected version range spans from an unspecified initial version through version 3.0, indicating this flaw has persisted across multiple iterations of the plugin's development lifecycle, suggesting inadequate security review processes during version updates.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages that are then executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected content. This stored XSS vulnerability occurs because the plugin does not adequately sanitize or escape user input before rendering it within HTML output, creating opportunities for attackers to embed JavaScript code, HTML tags, or other malicious payloads that will execute whenever legitimate users interact with the compromised web page. The vulnerability's classification as CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation - directly relates to the failure of the application to properly handle user-supplied data in contexts where it will be rendered as web content, making it susceptible to injection attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation within affected web applications. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to user sessions, potentially compromising user accounts and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that malicious payloads remain active even after the initial injection, allowing attackers to maintain access over extended periods without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. This characteristic significantly amplifies the attack surface and makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users interact with the affected web application.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. The recommended approach involves applying proper HTML entity encoding to all user-supplied content before rendering it within web pages, ensuring that any potentially malicious scripts are neutralized through appropriate escaping mechanisms. Security patches should include enhanced sanitization routines that validate input against expected data formats and reject or sanitize any content that does not conform to established security policies. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to provide additional defense-in-depth measures that can prevent the execution of unauthorized scripts even if the primary vulnerability is not fully patched. The remediation process should align with ATT&CK framework tactics related to privilege escalation and credential access, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security hardening measures that address both the immediate vulnerability and broader application security posture.