CVE-2021-24796 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

The My Tickets WordPress plugin before 1.8.31 is vulnerable to an Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack, allowing unauthenticated users to execute malicious scripts against administrators.

Understanding CVE-2021-24796

This CVE involves a security flaw in the My Tickets plugin for WordPress, enabling attackers to inject and execute harmful scripts remotely.

What is CVE-2021-24796?

The vulnerability in the My Tickets WordPress plugin before version 1.8.31 allows unauthenticated users to perform Cross-Site Scripting attacks against admin profiles by manipulating the Email field of booked tickets.

The Impact of CVE-2021-24796

The impact of this CVE is significant as it enables attackers to execute script-based attacks on vulnerable WordPress sites, potentially compromising sensitive information and performing malicious activities.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-24796

This section delves into the specifics of the vulnerability, including the description, affected systems and versions, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize and escape the Email field of booked tickets before displaying it in the Payment admin dashboard, opening the door for attackers to inject malicious scripts.

Affected Systems and Versions

My Tickets plugin versions prior to 1.8.31 are affected by this vulnerability, making websites using these versions susceptible to Cross-Site Scripting attacks.

Exploitation Mechanism

By exploiting the lack of input validation in the Email field of ticket bookings, attackers can insert harmful scripts that get executed when viewed by an administrator, leading to potential compromise.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address the CVE-2021-24796 vulnerability, immediate steps, long-term security practices, and the importance of patching and updates are discussed below.

Immediate Steps to Take

Website administrators should update the My Tickets plugin to version 1.8.31 or higher to mitigate the risk of Cross-Site Scripting attacks. Additionally, validating and sanitizing user input can help prevent such vulnerabilities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing secure coding practices, conducting regular security audits, and staying informed about plugin updates and security patches are essential for maintaining a secure WordPress environment.

Patching and Updates

Regularly updating plugins, themes, and the WordPress core is crucial to ensure that known vulnerabilities are patched and security is enhanced to protect against evolving cyber threats.