CVE-2024-53748 in WP Mermaid Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/02/2024
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Terry Lin WP Mermaid allows Stored XSS.This issue affects WP Mermaid: from n/a through 1.0.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability exists within the WP Mermaid plugin, which is designed to render mermaid diagrams on wordpress websites. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that malicious scripts are permanently stored on the server and executed whenever users access affected pages, making it particularly dangerous for widespread impact.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization during the web page generation process. When users submit content or parameters that are intended for mermaid diagram rendering, the plugin fails to properly neutralize potentially malicious input before incorporating it into generated web pages. This allows attackers to inject javascript code or other malicious payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically affects versions of WP Mermaid from the initial release through version 1.0.2, indicating that the issue has persisted across multiple iterations without proper remediation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for wordpress websites using the affected plugin. Attackers can exploit this weakness to steal user sessions, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The stored nature means that once the malicious payload is injected, it will affect all users who view the compromised pages until the vulnerability is patched. This makes the attack particularly persistent and difficult to contain, as the malicious code remains embedded in the website's content.
The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79 which defines improper neutralization of input during web page generation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments. Organizations should immediately update to the latest version of WP Mermaid to address this vulnerability, as the affected versions through 1.0.2 contain the exploitable flaw. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation and output encoding measures, conduct thorough security assessments of all installed plugins, and monitor for suspicious activity in their wordpress installations. The presence of this vulnerability in a widely used plugin like WP Mermaid demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the potential for widespread impact when such flaws exist in popular software components.