CVE-2024-4180
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in The Events Calendar WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. It affects WordPress sites running vulnerable plugin versions, potentially compromising all visitors to affected pages.
💻 Affected Systems
- The Events Calendar WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in victims' browsers, leading to session hijacking, credential theft, defacement, or malware distribution.
Likely Case
Cross-site scripting attacks that steal session cookies or redirect users to malicious sites.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper content security policies and input validation are already implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction with AJAX endpoints but no authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.4.0.1
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/b2a92316-e404-4a5e-8426-f88df6e87550/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find The Events Calendar plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update to version 6.4.0.1 or later.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable AJAX functionality
allTemporarily disable AJAX features in the plugin settings to prevent exploitation.
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to restrict script execution sources.
Add to .htaccess: Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
Or add to wp-config.php: header("Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'");
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable or uninstall the vulnerable plugin immediately
- Implement web application firewall rules to block malicious payloads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins. If version is below 6.4.0.1, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name='the-events-calendar' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 6.4.0.1 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with script tags
- Multiple failed AJAX requests with suspicious parameters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing <script> tags in AJAX endpoints
- Unexpected redirects from calendar pages
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND uri="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND (body="<script>" OR body="javascript:")