CVE-2024-53719
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Zajax - Ajax Navigation 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 scripts into websites. All WordPress sites using affected versions of this plugin are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Zajax - Ajax Navigation 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
Complete site takeover where attackers inject malicious scripts that steal administrator credentials, redirect visitors to malicious sites, or deface the entire website.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious JavaScript that steals session cookies, performs unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or displays unwanted content to visitors.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper CSRF tokens and Content Security Policy (CSP) headers in place, though some functionality may still be compromised.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link or visiting a compromised page. The CSRF leads to stored XSS payload execution.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 0.4 (check for updates)
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Zajax - Ajax Navigation'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update is available, deactivate and delete the plugin immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Protection
allAdd CSRF tokens to all form submissions and AJAX requests in the plugin code
Enable Content Security Policy
allImplement CSP headers to restrict script execution sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately deactivate and remove the Zajax - Ajax Navigation plugin from all WordPress installations
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block suspicious requests targeting the plugin endpoints
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Zajax - Ajax Navigation' version 0.4 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin list --name=zajax-ajax-navigation --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is updated beyond 0.4 or confirm plugin is completely removed from the plugins directory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with zajax-related actions
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious JavaScript injection patterns in HTTP responses
- Unexpected iframe or script tags in page content
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("zajax" OR "admin-ajax.php") AND ("POST" OR "csrf")