CVE-2024-7982 in Registrations for the Events Calendar Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/08/2024
The Registrations for the Events Calendar WordPress plugin before 2.12.4 does not sanitise and escape some parameters when accepting event registrations, which could allow unauthenticated users to perform Cross-Site Scripting attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-7982 affects the Registrations for the Events Calendar WordPress plugin, specifically versions prior to 2.12.4, presenting a critical cross-site scripting risk that could be exploited by unauthenticated attackers. This issue stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's event registration handling functionality, creating a pathway for malicious script injection that could compromise user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and directly impacts the plugin's ability to safely process user-supplied data during the registration workflow.
The technical flaw manifests when the plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape parameters received during event registration requests, particularly in areas where user input is directly incorporated into dynamic HTML content without appropriate security measures. This creates a classic XSS vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's registration forms, which then execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected pages. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input before incorporating it into dynamic content, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on code injection and script execution within web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as unauthenticated attackers could potentially harvest session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute commands on behalf of legitimate users. The risk is particularly elevated in environments where users may have elevated privileges or where the plugin integrates with other security-sensitive components. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, deface the event calendar, or use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the broader network infrastructure. The lack of authentication requirements for exploitation makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it requires no prior access credentials.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-7982 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 2.12.4 or later, which contain the necessary sanitization and escaping fixes. Organizations should also implement additional security measures including input validation at multiple layers, output encoding for dynamic content, and regular security scanning of WordPress installations. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth, while security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual registration patterns or script injection attempts. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes remain essential for maintaining a secure environment, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input handling in web applications. The fix implemented in version 2.12.4 addresses the root cause by ensuring all user-supplied parameters undergo proper sanitization before being processed or displayed, thereby preventing the execution of malicious scripts in the context of legitimate users.