CVE-2024-11107
📋 TL;DR
The System Dashboard WordPress plugin before version 2.8.15 contains a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages. This affects all WordPress sites running vulnerable versions of the plugin, potentially compromising visitors' browsers.
💻 Affected Systems
- System Dashboard WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, deface websites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users if they have active sessions.
Likely Case
Attackers will typically use this to steal session cookies or redirect users to phishing/malware sites, potentially leading to account compromise.
If Mitigated
With proper Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and modern browser XSS protections, impact is limited to specific browser contexts.
🎯 Exploit Status
XSS vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized and this requires no authentication, making exploitation trivial.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.8.15
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/a89f1117-8df3-417b-b54f-6587545833ee/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'System Dashboard' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 2.8.15+ from WordPress.org and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate system-dashboard
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to mitigate XSS impact
Add to .htaccess: Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
Or add to wp-config.php: header("Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'");
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the System Dashboard plugin entirely if not essential
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads targeting this plugin
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → System Dashboard → Version. If version is below 2.8.15, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get system-dashboard --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 2.8.15 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual GET/POST requests containing script tags or JavaScript payloads
- Multiple requests to plugin-specific endpoints from single IPs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing <script> tags or JavaScript in parameters
- Unusual outbound connections from user browsers after visiting affected pages
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri_path="/wp-content/plugins/system-dashboard/" OR user_agent CONTAINS "<script>")