CVE-2024-50442 in Royal Elementor Addons Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2024
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference vulnerability in WP Royal Royal Elementor Addons royal-elementor-addons allows XML Injection.This issue affects Royal Elementor Addons: from n/a through <= 1.3.980.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-50442 represents a critical security flaw in the WP Royal Royal Elementor Addons plugin, specifically within the royal-elementor-addons component. This issue manifests as an improper restriction of XML External Entity references, creating a pathway for XML injection attacks that can potentially compromise the affected WordPress environment. The vulnerability impacts all versions of the plugin from the initial release through version 1.3.980, indicating a significant attack surface that has remained unaddressed for an extended period. The flaw resides in how the plugin processes XML data, failing to properly validate or sanitize external entity references that could be exploited by malicious actors to execute unauthorized operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the plugin's XML processing functions. When the royal-elementor-addons plugin handles XML data, it fails to properly restrict external entity references, allowing attackers to inject malicious XML content that can trigger unintended behavior. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-611, which categorizes improper restriction of XML external entity references as a critical security concern. The vulnerability enables attackers to manipulate the XML parsing process and potentially execute arbitrary code or access sensitive system resources through crafted XML payloads that exploit the lack of proper entity validation.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-50442 extends beyond simple data injection, as it provides attackers with potential access to the underlying WordPress system and its associated data. Successful exploitation could enable unauthorized users to retrieve sensitive information, modify content, or potentially escalate privileges within the affected environment. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that remains active across multiple plugin versions, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that have not yet updated to patched versions. This issue directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1213.002, which covers data from information repositories, as the vulnerability could potentially expose stored data through manipulated XML processing.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin updates to the latest available version that addresses the XML external entity restriction issue. Administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring of XML processing activities within the affected plugin to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network-level defenses including XML filtering rules and web application firewalls should be deployed to prevent malicious XML payloads from reaching the vulnerable system. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and sanitization measures within the WordPress environment can provide defense-in-depth protection against similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process must also include thorough security auditing of other plugins and themes to identify similar XML processing vulnerabilities that could be exploited in combination with this weakness. Organizations should consider implementing automated patch management systems to ensure timely updates and reduce the window of vulnerability exposure.