CVE-2025-24723 in Booking Calendar Contact Form Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/24/2025
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in CodePeople Booking Calendar Contact Form allows Stored XSS. This issue affects Booking Calendar Contact Form: from n/a through 1.2.55.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw that enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The issue specifically impacts the CodePeople Booking Calendar Contact Form plugin, where input validation mechanisms fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data during web page generation processes. The vulnerability allows for stored cross-site scripting attacks, meaning malicious payloads persist in the application's database and execute whenever affected pages are loaded. This particular weakness falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a classic stored XSS vulnerability that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. The affected version range spans from an unspecified initial version through 1.2.55, indicating a long-standing issue that has persisted across multiple releases.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when users submit malicious input through the booking calendar contact form interface. This input is then stored in the application's database without proper sanitization or encoding, creating a persistent threat vector. When other users view pages that render this stored data, their browsers execute the malicious scripts within the context of their sessions. This allows attackers to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, defacing web pages, or executing arbitrary commands on affected systems. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the attack vector is not limited to a single user interaction but can affect all users who encounter the malicious content, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where the contact form collects sensitive information from various visitors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to encompass significant security risks for organizations relying on the booking calendar plugin. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to hijack user sessions, potentially gaining administrative access to the calendar system or accessing sensitive booking information. The stored nature of the XSS attack means that the threat persists even after the initial injection, allowing attackers to maintain access over extended periods without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. This vulnerability can also be used to deliver malware payloads, perform phishing attacks, or manipulate the booking calendar functionality to redirect users to malicious domains. Organizations using this plugin may experience data breaches, loss of customer trust, and potential compliance violations, particularly in environments where personal information or financial data is processed through the booking system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data processing pipeline. The most effective immediate solution involves upgrading to the latest version of the CodePeople Booking Calendar Contact Form plugin where the XSS vulnerability has been patched. Organizations should also implement proper content security policies to limit script execution and sanitize all user inputs before storage. Additionally, regular security audits of web applications should include comprehensive testing for cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, with particular attention to form submission handlers and data rendering components. Security teams should consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script injection attempts, while also establishing monitoring procedures to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include multiple layers of security controls to prevent successful exploitation of input validation flaws.