CVE-2024-9682 in Royal Elementor Addons and Templates Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/13/2024
The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's Form Builder widget in all versions up to, and including, 1.7.1001 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. 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 • 02/27/2025
The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates plugin presents a significant security vulnerability classified as stored cross-site scripting in its Form Builder widget functionality. This weakness affects all plugin versions through 1.7.1001 and represents a critical risk to WordPress environments that utilize this popular page builder extension. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to embed persistent malicious scripts within the plugin's form handling components.
The technical flaw manifests when authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher attempt to manipulate form attributes through the plugin's interface. The insufficient sanitization processes fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied input data, particularly attributes related to form fields and their configurations. This vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that gets stored within the plugin's database or configuration files, making the malicious payload persistent across multiple user sessions and page views. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that any user who accesses a page containing the injected script will automatically execute the malicious code within their browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive user data and session information. Since the vulnerability requires only contributor-level privileges, it represents a particularly concerning risk for WordPress installations where multiple users have varying permission levels. The attack vector allows for session hijacking, credential theft, and potential privilege escalation within the WordPress environment. Additionally, the malicious scripts can be used to redirect users to phishing sites, harvest cookies, or perform other malicious activities that could compromise the entire WordPress installation and underlying network infrastructure.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links. Organizations utilizing this plugin should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest available version, implementing proper input validation measures, and conducting thorough security audits of all plugins and themes. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper output escaping and input sanitization practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten security recommendations, particularly emphasizing the need for defense-in-depth strategies that protect against both authenticated and unauthenticated attack vectors.