CVE-2024-13589
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated WordPress users with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts via the 'yt_grid' shortcode in the YouTube Playlists with Schema plugin. The scripts execute whenever other users view pages containing the injected shortcode, enabling session hijacking, defacement, or malware distribution. All WordPress sites using vulnerable plugin versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- YouTube Playlists with Schema WordPress 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 credentials, install backdoors, redirect users to malicious sites, or completely compromise the WordPress site and potentially the server.
Likely Case
Malicious contributors or compromised accounts inject scripts to steal user session cookies, display fraudulent content, or redirect visitors to phishing pages.
If Mitigated
With proper user access controls and content review processes, impact is limited to potential defacement of specific pages containing the shortcode.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires contributor-level WordPress access. The vulnerability is straightforward to exploit once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.6.2
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3154564/jma-youtube-playlists-with-schema/trunk/youtube-playlists-with-schema.php
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'YouTube Playlists with Schema' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version shows 2.6.2 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate jma-youtube-playlists-with-schema
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
- Remove 'contributor' and 'author' roles from all users, only grant 'subscriber' or custom roles with no post editing capabilities
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in POST parameters and shortcode attributes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'YouTube Playlists with Schema' version 2.6.1 or lowerCheck Version:
wp plugin get jma-youtube-playlists-with-schema --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version shows 2.6.2 or higher in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- WordPress post/page edits containing 'yt_grid' shortcode with script tags or JavaScript payloads
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful contributor-level login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with suspicious parameters in POST data to wp-admin/post.php
- Outbound connections to unknown domains from WordPress pages
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("yt_grid" AND ("script" OR "javascript" OR "onerror" OR "onload"))