CVE-2024-9227 in PowerPress Podcasting Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/16/2025
The PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry WordPress plugin before 11.9.18 does not sanitise and escape some of its settings when adding a podcast, which could allow admin users to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attacks even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-9227 affects the PowerPress Podcasting plugin for WordPress, specifically versions prior to 11.9.18. This issue represents a critical security flaw that undermines the plugin's ability to properly handle user input, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute stored cross-site scripting attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets administrative users who may have restricted permissions, yet still possess the capability to manipulate podcast settings through the plugin's interface.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-provided data within its podcast settings functionality. When administrators create or modify podcast entries, the plugin fails to adequately process input values that could contain malicious script code. This inadequate input validation creates a persistent XSS vulnerability where malicious payloads can be stored within the plugin's configuration settings and subsequently executed whenever the affected page is accessed by other users. The vulnerability persists because the malicious scripts are saved to the database rather than being immediately executed during the input process, making it a stored XSS attack vector that can affect multiple users over time.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with potential access to administrative functions and sensitive data. Even when WordPress security measures such as disallowing unfiltered_html capability are implemented, the vulnerability allows authenticated administrators to bypass these protections through the plugin's interface. This creates a dangerous scenario where malicious actors can leverage their administrative privileges to inject persistent malicious code that can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other harmful actions. The vulnerability affects the core integrity of the WordPress installation by enabling unauthorized code execution within the context of privileged user sessions.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, and demonstrates how improper input handling can lead to serious security consequences. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and control communication through web application interfaces, as well as privilege escalation through exploitation of administrative interfaces. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it leverages legitimate administrative functionality to deliver malicious payloads, making detection more difficult. Organizations using the PowerPress plugin should immediately update to version 11.9.18 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the stored nature of the XSS attack means that even if the initial injection is patched, any previously stored malicious content remains active until manually removed from the database.
The remediation process involves not only updating the plugin to the patched version but also conducting thorough security audits of the affected WordPress installation. Administrators should review all podcast entries for potential malicious code injection and consider implementing additional security measures such as content security policies and regular security scanning of the WordPress installation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output escaping practices in web applications, particularly when dealing with user-generated content in administrative interfaces. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring and intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all WordPress plugins and themes remain current with security patches.