CVE-2023-24420 – This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attac... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into the WordPress admin interface of the Contact Form 7 data storage plugin. When exploited, it can lead to session hijacking, data theft, or admin account compromise. Only WordPress sites using Admin side data storage for Contact Form 7 plugin version 1.1.1 or earlier are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Admin side data storage for Contact Form 7 WordPress plugin

Versions: <= 1.1.1

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects WordPress installations with this specific plugin installed and activated

📦 What is this software?

Admin Side Data Storage For Contact Form 7 by Zestard

View all CVEs affecting Admin Side Data Storage For Contact Form 7 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete admin account takeover leading to full site compromise, data exfiltration, or malware installation

🟠

Likely Case

Session hijacking allowing unauthorized admin access, data manipulation, or privilege escalation

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation and output encoding in place

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - WordPress admin interfaces are typically internet-facing and the exploit requires no authentication

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Lower risk if admin interface is restricted to internal networks only

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Reflected XSS vulnerabilities are commonly exploited and require minimal technical skill

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 1.1.2 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/admin-side-data-storage-for-contact-form-7/wordpress-admin-side-data-storage-for-contact-form-7-plugin-1-1-1-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Find 'Admin side data storage for Contact Form 7'
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. If no update appears, download version 1.1.2+ from WordPress repository
6. Deactivate old plugin, upload new version, activate

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable vulnerable plugin

all

Temporarily disable the plugin until patched version is available

wp plugin deactivate admin-side-data-storage-for-contact-form-7

Restrict admin access

linux

Limit WordPress admin panel access to trusted IP addresses only

# Add to .htaccess for Apache:
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
# Add to nginx config:
location /wp-admin {
    allow 192.168.1.0/24;
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    deny all;
}

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS protection rules
Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Admin side data storage for Contact Form 7' version

Check Version:

wp plugin list --name='admin-side-data-storage-for-contact-form-7' --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify plugin version shows 1.1.2 or higher in WordPress admin plugins page

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual admin login attempts
Suspicious GET/POST parameters containing script tags in admin URLs
Multiple failed admin authentication attempts

Network Indicators:

Malicious script injection attempts in admin panel requests
Unusual traffic patterns to /wp-admin/ endpoints

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND ("<script" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload=") AND uri_path="/wp-admin/"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-24420

CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L

CWE: CWE-79

Published: June 15, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2023-24420, you might also want to check these: