CVE-2024-4339 in Prime Slider Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2024
The Prime Slider – Addons For Elementor (Revolution of a slider, Hero Slider, Ecommerce Slider) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the General widget in all versions up to, and including, 3.14.3 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/31/2025
The Prime Slider plugin for WordPress represents a widely used elementor addon that enables users to create various types of sliders including hero sliders and ecommerce displays. This particular vulnerability affects versions up to and including 3.14.3 and resides within the General widget functionality of the plugin. The security flaw manifests as a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's administrative interface. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of user input within the General widget where configuration parameters are stored and later rendered on web pages. Attackers with contributor level access or higher can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious input that gets stored in the database and subsequently executed whenever affected pages are accessed by other users.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and insufficient output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. When administrators or contributors input data into the General widget configuration fields, the plugin fails to properly validate or sanitize this input before storing it in the WordPress database. Additionally, the plugin does not implement adequate output escaping when rendering these stored values back to users, creating an environment where malicious scripts can persist and execute. This represents a classic stored XSS vulnerability pattern where user input flows through the application without proper sanitization and is later reflected back to users without appropriate escaping mechanisms. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the plugin's administrative interface where legitimate users might enter configuration data, making it difficult to distinguish between benign and malicious input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with significant privileges within the context of the affected WordPress installation. An attacker with contributor access can inject persistent scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially allowing for session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the WordPress environment. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it remains active until manually removed from the database, potentially affecting multiple users over extended periods. This vulnerability undermines the security model of WordPress installations where access control is supposed to prevent unauthorized modifications to site content and functionality. The exploitation could lead to complete compromise of user sessions, data exfiltration, or the deployment of additional malicious payloads that leverage the elevated privileges of authenticated users.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates to versions that address the stored XSS flaw. Users should also implement additional security measures such as restricting contributor-level access to only essential administrative functions and monitoring plugin configuration changes for suspicious activity. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts and maintain regular security audits of installed plugins to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. Regular backups should be maintained to ensure quick recovery in case of successful exploitation, and user access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only trusted individuals have contributor or higher privileges within the WordPress environment.