CVE-2024-13583
📋 TL;DR
The Simple Gallery with Filter WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in all versions up to 2.0. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious scripts via the plugin's shortcode attributes, which execute when users view affected pages. This affects all WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin.
💻 Affected Systems
- Simple Gallery with Filter WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator credentials, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor accounts inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies or perform phishing attacks against site visitors.
If Mitigated
With proper user access controls and content security policies, impact is limited to isolated script execution without data exfiltration.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is technically simple once attacker has contributor credentials.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 2.0
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/simple-gallery-with-filter/trunk/simple-gallery-with-filter.php#L377
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Simple Gallery with Filter'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update to latest version. 5. Verify plugin version is above 2.0.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate simple-gallery-with-filter
Restrict User Roles
allRemove contributor-level access from untrusted users
wp user list --role=contributor --field=ID
wp user set-role <user_id> subscriber
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution
- Regularly audit user accounts and remove unnecessary contributor-level permissions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Simple Gallery with Filter > Version. If version is 2.0 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get simple-gallery-with-filter --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version is above 2.0 and test shortcode functionality with script-like inputs.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin with shortcode parameters containing script tags
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful contributor login
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from WordPress site after page views
- Suspicious JavaScript payloads in HTTP requests
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("c2tw_sgwf" OR "simple-gallery") AND ("script" OR "javascript" OR "onload" OR "onerror")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/simple-gallery-with-filter/trunk/simple-gallery-with-filter.php#L377
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3227234%40simple-gallery-with-filter&new=3227234%40simple-gallery-with-filter&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1c088264-64a2-4a36-ae3b-fdf60f3837e2?source=cve
