CVE-2024-32538
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Easy CountDowner WordPress plugin allows attackers to perform Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks that lead to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). Attackers can trick authenticated administrators into executing malicious actions that inject persistent JavaScript payloads. All WordPress sites using Easy CountDowner versions up to 1.0.8 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Joshua Eldridge Easy CountDowner 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 could inject malicious JavaScript that steals administrator credentials, redirects users to malicious sites, or takes full control of the WordPress site.
Likely Case
Attackers inject tracking scripts, deface websites, or steal session cookies from authenticated users.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF tokens and input validation, the attack chain is broken and no exploitation occurs.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link or visiting a crafted page. The CSRF-to-XSS chain makes this relatively easy to weaponize.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.0.9 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/easy-countdowner/wordpress-easy-countdowner-plugin-1-0-8-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 Easy CountDowner and click 'Update Now'. 4. If no update is available, deactivate and delete the plugin immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Easy CountDowner Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched version is available.
wp plugin deactivate easy-countdowner
Implement CSRF Protection Headers
allAdd Content Security Policy headers to mitigate XSS impact.
Add to .htaccess: Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
Add to nginx config: add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'";
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the Easy CountDowner plugin completely from your WordPress installation.
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block CSRF attempts and XSS payloads.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for Easy CountDowner version. If version is 1.0.8 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get easy-countdowner --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the plugin version shows 1.0.9 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php with countdowner parameters
- JavaScript injection patterns in plugin settings or database entries
Network Indicators:
- CSRF attempts with referer headers pointing to external malicious sites
- Unexpected iframe or script tags loading from external domains
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("easy-countdowner" OR "countdowner") AND ("POST" OR "admin-ajax")🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/easy-countdowner/wordpress-easy-countdowner-plugin-1-0-8-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/easy-countdowner/wordpress-easy-countdowner-plugin-1-0-8-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
