CVE-2024-13802
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated WordPress users with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts into website pages using the Bandsintown Events plugin's shortcode. The scripts execute whenever users visit the compromised pages, enabling session hijacking, defacement, or malware distribution. All WordPress sites using vulnerable plugin versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Bandsintown Events WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Events by Bandsintown
⚠️ 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 security policies, impact is limited to defacement of specific pages rather than full site compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires contributor-level WordPress access. The vulnerability is well-documented with public proof-of-concept examples available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.3.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/bandsintown/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Bandsintown Events' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify plugin version is 1.3.2 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate bandsintown
Restrict User Roles
linuxRemove contributor-level access from untrusted users
wp user list --role=contributor --field=ID | xargs wp user set-role 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 → Bandsintown Events → Version. If version is 1.3.1 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get bandsintown --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version shows 1.3.2 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual shortcode usage in post/page edits
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by contributor account activity
- Posts/pages with suspicious script tags in content
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected external script loads from WordPress pages
- Traffic to known malicious domains from your site
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("bandsintown_events" OR "shortcode") AND ("script" OR "javascript" OR "onclick")