CVE-2024-8317 in WP AdCenter Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/06/2024
The WP AdCenter – Ad Manager & Adsense Ads plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘ad_alignment’ attribute in all versions up to, and including, 2.5.6 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/11/2025
The WP AdCenter plugin presents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that undermines the security posture of WordPress installations. This vulnerability exists within the plugin's handling of the 'ad_alignment' attribute, affecting all versions through 2.5.6, and represents a significant weakness in the plugin's input validation and output sanitization mechanisms. The flaw allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level privileges or higher to inject malicious scripts that persist in the application's database, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can affect any user who accesses pages containing the malicious content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user input and insufficient output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. When administrators or contributors input data through the ad_alignment attribute, the plugin fails to properly validate or sanitize this input before storing it in the database. Additionally, the plugin does not adequately escape output when rendering these stored values, creating an environment where malicious scripts can be executed in the context of other users' browsers. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic case of stored XSS where malicious input is permanently stored and later executed without proper context-dependent encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the compromised WordPress environment. An attacker with contributor privileges could inject scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, modify content, or even escalate privileges within the WordPress installation. The vulnerability affects any user who accesses pages containing the maliciously injected content, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where administrators might inadvertently view pages containing the injected scripts. This creates a persistent threat vector that remains active until the malicious content is removed or the plugin is updated.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, beginning with updating to the latest version of the WP AdCenter plugin where the issue has been resolved. Until such updates are applied, administrators should consider restricting contributor-level access to prevent unauthorized users from injecting malicious content, and implement additional monitoring of plugin usage and content modifications. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output escaping practices, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering tactics including the use of malicious content to compromise systems. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against similar vulnerabilities in other plugins or themes that may be present in the WordPress environment.