CVE-2024-13113
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows users with contributor-level access or higher in WordPress to inject malicious scripts into web pages via unsanitized parameters in the Countdown Timer for Elementor plugin. It affects WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin, potentially compromising site visitors and administrators through cross-site scripting attacks.
💻 Affected Systems
- Countdown Timer for Elementor WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker with contributor access could inject malicious scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or deface the website, leading to data theft and reputational damage.
Likely Case
A malicious contributor exploits the vulnerability to perform limited XSS attacks, such as displaying unauthorized content or capturing user interactions on affected pages.
If Mitigated
With strict user role management and input validation, the impact is minimized to low-risk, isolated incidents with no significant data loss.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires contributor-level access in WordPress, making it straightforward for authenticated attackers but not accessible to unauthenticated users.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.3.7
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/ffc31d9d-d245-4c4b-992d-394a01798117/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Countdown Timer for Elementor' and update to version 1.3.7 or later. 4. Verify the update completes successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict User Roles
allLimit contributor and higher roles to trusted users only to reduce attack surface.
Disable Plugin
linuxTemporarily deactivate the plugin if patching is not immediately possible.
wp plugin deactivate countdown-timer-for-elementor
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor user activity for suspicious contributions or script injections.
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block common XSS payloads.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins; if version is below 1.3.7, it is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get countdown-timer-for-elementor --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm the plugin version is 1.3.7 or higher in the same location.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to plugin endpoints with script tags or encoded payloads in parameters.
Network Indicators:
- HTTP traffic containing malicious scripts in request parameters to WordPress admin or front-end pages.
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress_logs" AND (url="*countdown-timer*" AND (param="*<script>*" OR param="*javascript:*"))