CVE-2024-49282 in Responsive Lightbox Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/17/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in dFactory Responsive Lightbox responsive-lightbox allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Responsive Lightbox: from n/a through <= 2.4.8.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-49282 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness within the dFactory Responsive Lightbox plugin, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS flaw that can compromise user sessions and execute malicious code. This vulnerability resides in the web page generation process where input validation and sanitization mechanisms fail to properly neutralize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content. The affected plugin version range indicates that all versions up to and including 2.4.8 remain susceptible to this attack vector, creating a significant security risk for websites utilizing this lightbox functionality.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input sanitization during the lightbox plugin's content generation phase, where user-provided parameters are directly embedded into HTML output without proper encoding or validation. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript payloads that persist in the plugin's storage mechanisms, making the vulnerability classified as stored XSS rather than reflected XSS. When legitimate users view pages containing the maliciously stored content, their browsers execute the injected scripts within their security context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised user environment. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of how improper input handling can create persistent security weaknesses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to manipulate the lightbox functionality for malicious purposes including redirecting users to phishing sites, stealing cookies and authentication tokens, or even defacing website content. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it remains persistent and affects all users who encounter the compromised content, potentially affecting thousands of website visitors depending on the scale of the affected installations. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where the lightbox plugin is widely used across multiple pages or sites, as it can provide attackers with sustained access to user sessions and data. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which covers "Modify System Image" and can be leveraged to establish persistent access through compromised web application components.
Organizations utilizing the dFactory Responsive Lightbox plugin should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest available version that addresses this vulnerability, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious input patterns, and conducting thorough security reviews of all user-contributed content. Additional defensive measures should include input validation at multiple layers, output encoding for all dynamic content, and regular security scanning of web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities. The fix for this issue typically involves implementing proper input sanitization routines that strip or encode potentially dangerous characters before processing user data, ensuring that all content is properly escaped when rendered in HTML contexts. Security teams should also consider implementing content security policies to limit the execution scope of any potential XSS attacks and establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized modifications to lightbox configurations or stored content.