CVE-2021-4358
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into WordPress pages using the WP DSGVO Tools (GDPR) plugin, which execute when users visit those pages. It affects WordPress sites running the plugin up to version 3.1.23, potentially compromising user data and site integrity.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP DSGVO Tools (GDPR) plugin for WordPress
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or deface the website, leading to data breaches and reputational damage.
Likely Case
Attackers inject scripts to steal user credentials or session data from visitors, enabling account takeover or further attacks.
If Mitigated
With proper input sanitization and output escaping, the risk is minimized, preventing script injection and maintaining site security.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploits are actively being used in the wild, making this a high-priority issue for affected sites.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.1.24 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-dsgvo-tools/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find WP DSGVO Tools (GDPR) and update to version 3.1.24 or higher. 4. Verify the update completes successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable the plugin temporarily
allDeactivate the WP DSGVO Tools plugin to prevent exploitation until patched.
wp plugin deactivate wp-dsgvo-tools
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement a web application firewall (WAF) to block XSS payloads targeting the plugin.
- Restrict access to the WordPress admin interface and monitor for unusual activity in logs.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins; if version is 3.1.23 or lower, it is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get wp-dsgvo-tools --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm the plugin version is 3.1.24 or higher in the same location and test for script injection attempts.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to plugin endpoints with script tags or JavaScript payloads in parameters.
Network Indicators:
- Inbound traffic containing malicious scripts directed at the plugin's vulnerable parameter.
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress_logs" AND (message:"wp-dsgvo-tools" AND message:"script")🔗 References
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/wordpress-wp-dsgvo-tools-gdpr-plugin-patched-vulnerability-actively-exploited/
- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/weiterleitung-redirects/
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/6c18ab1b-02f1-4679-8cff-679d98dc9f4a?source=cve
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/wordpress-wp-dsgvo-tools-gdpr-plugin-patched-vulnerability-actively-exploited/
- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/weiterleitung-redirects/
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/6c18ab1b-02f1-4679-8cff-679d98dc9f4a?source=cve
