CVE-2024-4697 – The Cowidgets – Elementor Addons WordPress pl... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-4697?

CVE-2024-4697 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (MEDIUM). The Cowidgets – Elementor Addons WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in versions up to 1.1.1. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious scripts via the 'heading_tag' parameter, which execute when users view affected pages. This affects all WordPress sites using the vulnerable plugin.

📋 TL;DR

The Cowidgets – Elementor Addons WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in versions up to 1.1.1. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious scripts via the 'heading_tag' parameter, which execute when users view affected pages. This affects all WordPress sites using the vulnerable plugin.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Cowidgets – Elementor Addons WordPress plugin

Versions: All versions up to and including 1.1.1

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires WordPress with the plugin installed and activated. Contributor-level authentication is needed for exploitation.

📦 What is this software?

Cowidgets Elementor Addons by Codeless

View all CVEs affecting Cowidgets Elementor Addons →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Attackers could steal admin credentials, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or install backdoors for persistent access.

🟠

Likely Case

Attackers with contributor accounts inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies or display phishing content to visitors.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper input validation and output escaping, the vulnerability would be prevented, allowing only safe HTML rendering.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once an attacker has contributor privileges.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 1.1.2 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cowidgets-elementor-addons

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Cowidgets – Elementor Addons'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update via FTP. 5. Verify version is 1.1.2 or higher.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Plugin

all

Temporarily deactivate the plugin until patched.

wp plugin deactivate cowidgets-elementor-addons

Restrict User Roles

all

Limit contributor-level access to trusted users only.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Remove contributor access from untrusted users.
Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in 'heading_tag' parameter.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins. If version is 1.1.1 or lower, it's vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin get cowidgets-elementor-addons --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm plugin version is 1.1.2 or higher after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php with 'heading_tag' parameter containing script tags
Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful contributor login

Network Indicators:

HTTP requests with JavaScript in 'heading_tag' parameter
Outbound connections to suspicious domains after page views

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND "heading_tag" AND ("<script>" OR "javascript:")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-4697

CVSS v3 Score: 6.4 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE: CWE-79

Published: June 4, 2024

Last Updated: January 30, 2025

🔗 References

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