CVE-2024-3918 in Pet Manager Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/23/2024
The Pet Manager WordPress plugin through 1.4 does not sanitise and escape some of its Pet settings, which could allow high privilege users such as Contributor to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2025
The CVE-2024-3918 vulnerability resides within the Pet Manager WordPress plugin version 1.4 and earlier, representing a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw that undermines web application security. This vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's handling of pet settings where insufficient sanitization and escaping mechanisms are implemented, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by users with Contributor-level privileges. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental failure in input validation and output escaping practices, which are core security controls recommended by the Open Web Application Security Project and OWASP guidelines.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied data before storing it in the database and subsequently rendering it in web pages. When contributors or other high-privilege users manipulate pet settings through the WordPress admin interface, the plugin accepts potentially malicious input without adequate filtering or encoding. This oversight creates a persistent XSS vector where malicious scripts can be injected into the plugin's settings and then executed whenever the affected pages are accessed by other users. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws, specifically targeting the storage phase of XSS attacks where malicious content is persisted in the application's database.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. A successful exploitation allows a contributor-level user to inject malicious JavaScript code that can be executed in the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising their sessions and accessing sensitive data. This represents a privilege escalation vector where lower-privileged users can leverage the vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to restricted areas of the WordPress site. The attack surface is particularly concerning because contributors typically have limited administrative capabilities but can now potentially execute code with the privileges of other users, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-3918 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the sanitization and escaping deficiencies. Administrators must ensure that all users with Contributor privileges are properly vetted and that role-based access controls are maintained to limit exposure. The recommended defense-in-depth approach includes implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts, regular security audits of plugin configurations, and monitoring for suspicious activity in plugin settings. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding practices as outlined in the WordPress security hardening guidelines would prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future plugin implementations. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools that can detect such issues in third-party plugins and maintain comprehensive backup strategies to quickly restore systems if exploitation occurs.