CVE-2024-51900 in What Would Seth Godin Do Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/02/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Richard K Miller What Would Seth Godin Do allows Stored XSS.This issue affects What Would Seth Godin Do: from n/a through 2.1.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-51900 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the "What Would Seth Godin Do" plugin developed by Richard K Miller. This stored cross-site scripting vulnerability occurs during the web page generation process when user input is not properly sanitized or neutralized before being rendered in web pages. The vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist in the application's database and execute whenever affected pages are loaded by other users. The affected version range spans from the initial release through version 2.1.1, indicating this flaw has been present for an extended period and potentially exposed numerous installations to risk.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the plugin's web page generation logic. When users submit content through forms or other interactive elements, the application fails to properly sanitize the input data before storing it in the database. This stored data is then retrieved and displayed on web pages without appropriate HTML escaping or context-aware encoding, creating an environment where malicious JavaScript code can be executed in the browsers of unsuspecting users. The flaw specifically manifests as a stored XSS attack vector, meaning the malicious payload persists server-side and affects multiple users over time rather than requiring a single-time injection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of affected users' browsers. This capability allows for session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and potential redirection to malicious sites. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal administrator credentials, modify content, or gain full control over user sessions within the affected WordPress environment. The persistent nature of stored XSS means that once the malicious script is injected, it will continue to affect users until the vulnerability is patched and the malicious content is removed from the database. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for websites that rely on user-generated content or administrative functionality.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest available version of the plugin, which should contain patches addressing the input sanitization issues. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing content security policies to limit script execution, and deploy web application firewalls that can detect and block known XSS attack patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious content. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of all installed plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities and implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding practices across their web applications to prevent future occurrences of this class of vulnerability.