CVE-2024-13898
📋 TL;DR
This stored XSS vulnerability in the Simple Banner WordPress plugin allows authenticated administrators to inject malicious scripts into website pages. The scripts execute when users visit affected pages, potentially stealing credentials or performing unauthorized actions. Only WordPress multisite installations and sites with unfiltered_html disabled are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Simple Banner 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 with admin access could inject persistent malicious scripts that steal user session cookies, redirect to phishing sites, or perform actions as authenticated users across the entire WordPress site.
Likely Case
Malicious administrators or compromised admin accounts could inject tracking scripts, deface content, or steal limited user data from visitors.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, no script injection would occur even if malicious input is attempted.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires administrator-level WordPress permissions. Exploitation is straightforward once admin access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.0.6 and later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Simple Banner plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 3.0.6+ from WordPress.org and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable unfiltered_html restriction
allEnable unfiltered_html capability for administrators on single-site installations (makes plugin not vulnerable per CVE description)
Add to wp-config.php: define('DISALLOW_UNFILTERED_HTML', false);
Temporary plugin deactivation
linuxDisable Simple Banner plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate simple-banner
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict administrator accounts to trusted personnel only and implement strong authentication
- Implement web application firewall rules to detect and block XSS payloads in plugin settings
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Simple Banner → Version. If version is 3.0.5 or lower, you are vulnerable if using multisite or unfiltered_html is disabled.Check Version:
wp plugin get simple-banner --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 3.0.6 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual modifications to Simple Banner settings by admin users
- JavaScript payloads in plugin option values
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected external script loads from your WordPress pages
- Suspicious outbound connections when visiting banner pages
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND ("simple-banner" OR "simple_banner") AND ("update_option" OR "settings saved") AND javascript_patterns