CVE-2024-12738
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into WordPress user profile pages via the Profile Builder plugin. When users view compromised profiles and click specific links, the scripts execute in their browsers. All WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of the Profile Builder plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Profile Builder plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially leading to full site compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts that steal user session cookies or redirect visitors to phishing sites, compromising user accounts and site integrity.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, the vulnerability is prevented, and only sanitized data is displayed to users.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability requires user interaction (clicking a link) but is straightforward to exploit due to insufficient input sanitization.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.12.10 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3217544/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Profile Builder' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify the plugin version is 3.12.10 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable User Meta Display
allTemporarily disable the display of user meta parameters in the plugin settings to prevent exploitation.
Deactivate Plugin
linuxDeactivate the Profile Builder plugin until it can be updated to a secure version.
wp plugin deactivate profile-builder
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement a web application firewall (WAF) with XSS protection rules
- Restrict access to user profile pages to authenticated users only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins. If version is 3.12.9 or lower, the site is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get profile-builder --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm the plugin version is 3.12.10 or higher and test user profile pages for any script injection.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to user meta endpoints
- JavaScript payloads in user profile data
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected script tags in HTTP responses from user profile pages
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" OR uri_path CONTAINS "profile") AND (http_method="POST" AND (request_body CONTAINS "<script>" OR request_body CONTAINS "javascript:"))🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/profile-builder/tags/3.12.8/features/email-confirmation/class-email-confirmation.php
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/profile-builder/tags/3.12.8/features/email-confirmation/class-email-confirmation.php#L95
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3217544/
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/51b626e1-89c0-49b9-bfeb-32005e8e78d6?source=cve
