CVE-2024-11826
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts into WordPress pages using the Quill Forms plugin's 'quillforms-popup' shortcode. The scripts execute when users view the compromised pages, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or content defacement. All WordPress sites using Quill Forms versions up to 3.10.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Quill Forms WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator credentials, take over the WordPress site, install backdoors, or redirect users to malicious sites, potentially compromising the entire web server and user data.
Likely Case
Contributor-level users inject malicious scripts to steal visitor session cookies, display phishing content, or deface pages, leading to data theft and reputational damage.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls limiting contributor accounts and regular monitoring, impact is reduced to isolated page defacement or limited data exposure from targeted attacks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires contributor-level WordPress access. The vulnerability is in a widely used plugin, making automated attacks likely.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.10.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3214019/quillforms/trunk/includes/class-shortcode.php
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Quill Forms and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 3.10.1 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Quill Forms Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the plugin until patching is possible
wp plugin deactivate quillforms
Restrict Contributor Access
allRemove contributor-level users or limit their capabilities
wp user list --role=contributor
wp user delete [user_id] --yes
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove contributor-level user accounts entirely
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in shortcode attributes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for Quill Forms version 3.10.0 or lowerCheck Version:
wp plugin get quillforms --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Quill Forms version is 3.10.1 or higher in WordPress plugins list📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual shortcode modifications in page/post content
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by contributor account activity
- Suspicious JavaScript in page source containing 'quillforms-popup'
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from WordPress site after page views
- Suspicious referrer headers containing script tags
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("quillforms-popup" AND ("script" OR "onerror" OR "javascript:"))