CVE-2024-51610 in Display Terms Shortcode Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/09/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in SEO Themes Display Terms Shortcode allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Display Terms Shortcode: from n/a through 1.0.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/28/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness that exploits improper input sanitization within the SEO Themes Display Terms Shortcode plugin. The flaw occurs during web page generation when user-supplied data is not adequately neutralized before being rendered in HTML output contexts. The vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to 1.0.5 of the Display Terms Shortcode plugin, creating a persistent security risk where malicious scripts can be stored and executed against unsuspecting users. The issue falls under CWE-79 which categorizes improper neutralization of input during web page generation as a primary weakness leading to XSS attacks. This vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising user sessions and data confidentiality.
The operational impact of this stored XSS vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to encompass comprehensive user session hijacking and data exfiltration capabilities. When users view pages containing maliciously injected scripts through the vulnerable shortcode functionality, their browsers execute these payloads without proper sanitization. Attackers can leverage this weakness to steal cookies, session tokens, and other sensitive information from authenticated users. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that malicious payloads persist in the application's database and are served to all users who access affected pages, creating a continuous attack surface. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which describes the use of malicious code injection to gain unauthorized access to systems and data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to submit malicious input through the Display Terms Shortcode functionality that gets stored in the application's backend. When legitimate users access pages utilizing this shortcode, the stored malicious code executes in their browser context, potentially enabling full compromise of user sessions. The vulnerability exists because the plugin fails to properly escape or sanitize user-provided content before rendering it in HTML output contexts, creating a direct pathway for script injection. Security controls such as Content Security Policy headers may provide some mitigation but cannot fully protect against this specific class of stored XSS attacks. Organizations using this plugin should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to version 1.0.5 or later, which contains the necessary input sanitization fixes. Additionally, administrators should review all user inputs processed through the shortcode functionality and implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding measures to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the application stack.