CVE-2024-5286 in wp-affiliate-platform Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/13/2024
The wp-affiliate-platform WordPress plugin before 6.5.1 does not sanitise and escape a parameter before outputting it back in the page, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting which could be used against high privilege users such as admin
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2025
The wp-affiliate-platform WordPress plugin version 6.5.0 and earlier contains a critical reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that poses significant risks to administrative users. This vulnerability arises from insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied input parameters before they are rendered back to the browser, creating an attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary scripts within the context of a victim's browser session. The flaw specifically affects the plugin's handling of parameters that are reflected back to users without proper output encoding, making it particularly dangerous when targeting high-privilege accounts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly validate and sanitize input data that flows through its web interface. When user-provided parameters are directly incorporated into HTML output without appropriate escaping mechanisms, attackers can inject malicious script code that executes in the victim's browser. This reflected XSS occurs because the plugin does not apply proper HTML escaping or encoding to parameters before rendering them in the page context, allowing attackers to craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by an administrator, execute malicious JavaScript code within the admin session. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize output, specifically manifesting as reflected cross-site scripting.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, particularly when considering that it can be exploited against administrative users. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to hijack admin sessions, execute unauthorized administrative actions, modify plugin settings, or potentially escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers need only convince an administrator to click a malicious link containing the XSS payload, making it particularly effective for targeted attacks against high-privilege accounts. This risk is amplified by the fact that administrators often have elevated permissions that could allow attackers to gain complete control over the WordPress installation and potentially the underlying server.
Security practitioners should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to version 6.5.1 or later of the wp-affiliate-platform plugin, which contains the necessary sanitization and escaping fixes. Additionally, network-based mitigations such as web application firewalls can provide temporary protection by filtering malicious input patterns, though these should not replace the mandatory plugin update. Organizations should also implement input validation at multiple layers including application-level sanitization, proper output encoding for all dynamic content, and regular security auditing of third-party plugins. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1212 as "Exploitation for Credential Access" and T1548.001 as "Abuse of Cloud Administration" when targeting administrative accounts, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures that address both the immediate vulnerability and broader security posture considerations.