CVE-2025-24636 in MachForm Shortcode Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/24/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Laymance Technologies LLC MachForm Shortcode allows Stored XSS. This issue affects MachForm Shortcode: from n/a through 1.4.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2025
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-24636 represents a critical security flaw within the MachForm Shortcode plugin developed by Laymance Technologies LLC. This vulnerability manifests as a stored cross-site scripting attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code within the context of a victim's browser session. The affected version range spans from an unspecified initial version through 1.4.1, indicating that all iterations within this release series are potentially vulnerable to this exploitation technique.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and sanitization of user-supplied input within the MachForm Shortcode plugin. When users submit data through forms that are processed by this shortcode functionality, the application fails to properly validate or escape the input before storing it in the database. This stored data is then subsequently rendered without proper context-based encoding, creating an environment where malicious scripts can be injected and executed when other users view the affected content. The vulnerability operates under CWE-352 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, while the stored XSS component aligns with CWE-79 which governs cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking. Attackers can leverage this flaw to perform unauthorized administrative actions, modify form configurations, or inject malicious payloads that persistently affect all users interacting with the compromised shortcode functionality. The stored nature of the XSS vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it will affect every user who accesses the affected pages until the malicious content is removed from the database. This persistent threat creates a significant risk for websites that rely on form processing functionality, particularly those managing sensitive user data or administrative capabilities.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate mitigation efforts including updating to the latest available version of the MachForm Shortcode plugin where this vulnerability has been addressed. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms can serve as defensive measures against similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts within their web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1548.002 which covers abuse of cloud compute infrastructure, and T1203 which addresses exploitation for privilege escalation through web application vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and monitoring of plugin repositories should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments.