CVE-2024-38724 in Contact Form 7 Summary and Print Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/13/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Muhammad Rehman Contact Form 7 Summary and Print allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Contact Form 7 Summary and Print: from n/a through 1.2.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/15/2025
This vulnerability resides within the Contact Form 7 Summary and Print plugin for WordPress, specifically impacting versions through 1.2.5. The flaw represents a critical security weakness that combines elements of cross-site request forgery and stored cross-site scripting attacks, creating a dangerous combination that can compromise user sessions and execute malicious code within the context of affected websites. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the plugin's form processing functionality, where user-submitted data is not adequately filtered before being stored and subsequently rendered in web pages. This creates an environment where attackers can inject malicious scripts that persist in the database and execute whenever the affected content is displayed to users with appropriate privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows a classic stored XSS pattern where malicious input is first accepted through a contact form submission and then stored within the plugin's database structures. When administrators or other privileged users view the stored form data through the plugin's summary or print functionality, the malicious scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation. The CSRF component amplifies the attack surface by allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of authenticated users, particularly when combined with the XSS capability. This dual vulnerability type creates a particularly dangerous scenario where an attacker can not only inject persistent malicious code but also potentially manipulate the application's behavior through forged requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it can enable complete compromise of affected WordPress installations. Attackers can leverage the stored XSS to steal administrator sessions, modify form configurations, or even escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability affects any user with access to the plugin's summary or print features, making it particularly dangerous for sites with multiple administrators or users who can view form submissions. The persistence of the XSS attack means that once exploited, the malicious code continues to execute until manually removed from the database, potentially providing attackers with extended access to compromised systems. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-352 for CSRF and CWE-79 for XSS, representing a compound weakness that violates fundamental web security principles.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of the Contact Form 7 Summary and Print plugin to versions that address the input validation flaws. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization measures and ensure that all user-provided data undergoes proper validation and encoding before being stored or displayed. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth, though they should not be relied upon as the sole mitigation. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities, with particular attention to plugins that handle user input and display it in web contexts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security practices around privilege management and session handling, as the attack can be particularly effective when targeting users with elevated permissions. Administrators should monitor their systems for suspicious activity and implement proper access controls to limit exposure to potential exploitation.