CVE-2024-13700
📋 TL;DR
The Embed Swagger UI WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in all versions up to 1.0.0. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious scripts via the 'wpsgui' shortcode, which execute when users view affected pages. This affects WordPress sites using this plugin.
💻 Affected Systems
- Embed Swagger UI WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal admin credentials, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies, perform actions as authenticated users, or display phishing content.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, the vulnerability is prevented, and only legitimate Swagger UI content is displayed.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once an attacker has contributor privileges.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.0.1
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/embed-swagger-ui/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Embed Swagger UI' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify the plugin version is 1.0.1 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the Embed Swagger UI plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate embed-swagger-ui
Restrict User Roles
allLimit contributor-level access to trusted users only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the plugin entirely if not needed.
- Implement a web application firewall (WAF) with XSS protection rules.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel under Plugins > Installed Plugins for Embed Swagger UI version 1.0.0 or lower.Check Version:
wp plugin get embed-swagger-ui --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm the plugin version is 1.0.1 or higher in the WordPress admin plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php with 'wpsgui' parameters.
- Suspicious user activity from contributor accounts.
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected JavaScript payloads in HTTP requests to WordPress pages.
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("wpsgui" OR "embed-swagger-ui") AND ("script" OR "onerror" OR "javascript:")