CVE-2024-13663
📋 TL;DR
The Coaching Staffs WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in its 'mstw-cs-table' shortcode that allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts. These scripts execute whenever users view compromised pages, potentially affecting all visitors to vulnerable WordPress sites.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Coaching Staffs 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 admin credentials, redirect users to malicious sites, deface websites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor access inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies or redirect visitors to phishing pages.
If Mitigated
With proper user role management and content review, impact is limited to potential defacement of specific pages.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is technically simple once attacker has contributor credentials.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/coaching-staffs/trunk/mstw-coaching-staffs.php
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Find 'Coaching Staffs' plugin
4. Click 'Update Now' if update available
5. Alternatively, download version 1.5+ from WordPress repository and manually update
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate coaching-staffs
Restrict user roles
allRemove contributor-level access from untrusted users
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove contributor and author roles from all untrusted users
- Implement web application firewall with XSS protection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed PluginsCheck Version:
wp plugin get coaching-staffs --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.5 or higher and test shortcode functionality📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual shortcode modifications in post/page revisions
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by contributor account access
- Suspicious script tags in post content containing 'mstw-cs-table'
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains from WordPress pages
- Unexpected script loads from third-party domains
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND ("mstw-cs-table" OR "coaching-staffs") AND ("script" OR "onerror" OR "javascript:")