CVE-2024-5004 in CM Popup Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/22/2024
The CM Popup Plugin for WordPress WordPress plugin before 1.6.6 does not sanitise and escape some of the campaign 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 • 03/17/2025
The CM Popup Plugin for WordPress vulnerability CVE-2024-5004 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw that affects versions prior to 1.6.6. This vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of campaign settings, where insufficient sanitization and escaping mechanisms leave the system exposed to malicious input injection. The flaw exists within the plugin's administrative interface where campaign configurations are processed and stored, creating a persistent vector for attacker exploitation. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows users with contributor privileges to execute malicious scripts, which demonstrates a significant privilege escalation risk within the WordPress ecosystem. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that once malicious code is injected into the campaign settings, it will persist and execute whenever the affected pages are loaded by other users, including administrators.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before storing it in the database and subsequently rendering it on web pages. According to CWE-79, this represents a classic stored cross-site scripting vulnerability where malicious payloads are stored on the server and executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability occurs during the processing of campaign settings parameters, where the plugin fails to implement proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious scripts within the campaign configuration fields, which are then stored in the WordPress database and executed when other users view the affected pages. This flaw violates fundamental security principles of input sanitization and output encoding that are essential for preventing XSS attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-5004 extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers with contributor-level access to potentially compromise the entire WordPress installation. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, they can leverage the stored XSS to perform various malicious activities including cookie theft, session hijacking, and redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where contributors may have access to sensitive administrative functions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing with Social Engineering) and T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as attackers can use the stored XSS to establish persistent access or execute malicious commands. The impact is compounded by the fact that the vulnerability affects campaign settings, which are commonly used for marketing and user engagement purposes, making the attack surface more significant.
The recommended mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-5004 center on immediate plugin updates to version 1.6.6 or later, which contains the necessary sanitization and escaping fixes. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including regular security audits of WordPress plugins, implementing content security policies to limit script execution, and monitoring for suspicious activity in campaign settings. Security teams should consider implementing input validation at multiple layers, including server-side sanitization and client-side filtering, to provide defense-in-depth protection. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input handling and output encoding practices in web applications, particularly for plugins that process user-supplied configuration data. Organizations should also review their user permission models to ensure that contributor-level users have appropriate restrictions on administrative functions, reducing the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. Regular patch management processes should be implemented to ensure timely updates of all WordPress plugins and themes to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.