CVE-2024-38722 in Job Board Manager Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/20/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in PickPlugins Job Board Manager allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Job Board Manager: from n/a through 2.1.57.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the PickPlugins Job Board Manager plugin that enables attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of victim browsers. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization during web page generation processes, specifically affecting the plugin's handling of user-supplied data that gets stored and subsequently rendered without adequate security measures. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that malicious payloads persist in the application's database and can affect multiple users who view the affected content, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that process user-generated content. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the Job Board Manager plugin fails to properly sanitize or escape user input before storing it in the database and later incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. Attackers can exploit this by submitting malicious script content through job listings, user profiles, or other input fields that are processed by the plugin. When legitimate users browse pages containing this stored malicious content, their browsers execute the injected scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the plugin's widespread use and the fact that it affects versions through 2.1.57, indicating a significant attack surface across multiple installations.
The operational consequences of this stored XSS vulnerability extend beyond simple script execution to encompass comprehensive user compromise and data exfiltration capabilities. An attacker could craft payloads that steal cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information from authenticated users, potentially gaining administrative access to the WordPress site. The vulnerability also enables more sophisticated attacks such as defacement of job listings, creation of malicious links that redirect users to phishing sites, or even the deployment of browser-based malware. Given that job board platforms often contain sensitive personal and professional information, the potential for data breach and privacy violation is substantial. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Establishing Persistence" and T1566 for "Phishing" as attackers can leverage the stored content to create convincing phishing campaigns.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of the Job Board Manager plugin to version 2.1.58 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Administrators should also implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application to prevent similar issues in other components. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, conducting regular security audits of user-generated content, and establishing proper input sanitization routines that escape special characters before storage. The WordPress security community should monitor for similar vulnerabilities in other plugins and ensure that all third-party components undergo rigorous security testing. Organizations using this plugin should also consider implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular backups to quickly recover from potential compromise scenarios.