CVE-2024-29918
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages generated by the Survey Maker WordPress plugin. When users visit a specially crafted URL, the script executes in their browser, potentially stealing session cookies or performing actions on their behalf. All WordPress sites using Survey Maker versions up to 4.0.6 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Survey Maker plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator session cookies, take over WordPress sites, install backdoors, or redirect users to malicious sites, leading to complete site compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers steal user session cookies or credentials, perform actions as authenticated users, or deface survey pages with malicious content.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, the malicious scripts would be neutralized, preventing execution and limiting impact to failed attack attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Reflected XSS vulnerabilities are commonly exploited via phishing emails or malicious links, requiring minimal technical skill.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.0.7 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/survey-maker/wordpress-survey-maker-plugin-4-0-6-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Survey Maker and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 4.0.7 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Survey Maker plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patching is possible.
wp plugin deactivate survey-maker
Implement WAF rules
allAdd web application firewall rules to block XSS payloads targeting Survey Maker endpoints.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution
- Use browser security extensions that block reflected XSS attacks
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Survey Maker version. If version is 4.0.6 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get survey-maker --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify Survey Maker version shows 4.0.7 or higher in WordPress plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing script tags or JavaScript in Survey Maker URLs
- Unusual survey parameter values with encoded characters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to survey-maker endpoints with suspicious query parameters
- Outbound connections to external domains from survey pages
SIEM Query:
source="web_access.log" AND uri="*survey-maker*" AND (query="*<script>*" OR query="*javascript:*" OR query="*onload=*" OR query="*onerror=*")🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/survey-maker/wordpress-survey-maker-plugin-4-0-6-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/survey-maker/wordpress-survey-maker-plugin-4-0-6-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
