CVE-2021-24444 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

A detailed overview of the authenticated stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the TaxoPress WordPress plugin.

Understanding CVE-2021-24444

This section will cover what CVE-2021-24444 entails, its impact, technical details, and mitigation steps.

What is CVE-2021-24444?

The TaxoPress plugin version before 3.0.7.2 is vulnerable to an authenticated stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issue. Attackers with high privilege can inject malicious JavaScript into the Taxonomy description field, even if the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed.

The Impact of CVE-2021-24444

The vulnerability can be exploited by authenticated high privilege users to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of other users, potentially leading to account takeover or data theft.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-24444

This section will delve into the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The TaxoPress WordPress plugin before 3.0.7.2 fails to properly sanitize user inputs in the Taxonomy description field, allowing attackers to insert malicious scripts.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects TaxoPress - Create and Manage Taxonomies, Tags, Categories WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.0.7.2.

Exploitation Mechanism

High privilege users can exploit the issue by inserting JavaScript payloads into the Taxonomy description field, despite restrictions on unfiltered_html capability.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section will cover immediate steps to take, long-term security practices, and the importance of patching and updates.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users should update the TaxoPress plugin to version 3.0.7.2 or higher to mitigate the risk of exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement user input validation and output sanitization practices to prevent XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins.

Patching and Updates

Regularly monitor for security updates and apply patches promptly to address known vulnerabilities in plugins and themes.