CVE-2024-53753
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) flaw in the CultBooking Hotel Booking Engine WordPress plugin that can lead to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). It allows attackers to trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions, such as injecting malicious scripts into the site, which then execute for other users. It affects users of the CultBooking Hotel Booking Engine plugin up to version 2.1.
💻 Affected Systems
- CultBooking Hotel Booking Engine 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
An attacker could exploit this to inject malicious scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or deface the website, potentially compromising user data and site integrity.
Likely Case
Attackers may use it to inject ads or redirects, causing minor disruptions or data theft from users who visit the affected pages.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF tokens and input validation in place, the risk is reduced to minimal, preventing unauthorized actions and script injection.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated user into clicking a malicious link, making it moderately complex but feasible with social engineering.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 2.1 (check vendor for exact version)
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into the WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'CultBooking Hotel Booking Engine' and update to the latest version. 4. Verify the update completes successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Protection
allAdd CSRF tokens to forms and validate them server-side to prevent unauthorized requests.
Modify plugin code to include nonce checks; consult developer documentation for specifics.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the CultBooking Hotel Booking Engine plugin temporarily until a patch can be applied.
- Use a web application firewall (WAF) to block CSRF and XSS attempts, and restrict plugin access to trusted users only.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins; if version is 2.1 or earlier, it is vulnerable.Check Version:
In WordPress, run: wp plugin list --name=cultbooking-booking-engine --field=version (requires WP-CLI)Verify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm the plugin version is above 2.1 and test forms for CSRF token implementation.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Look for unusual POST requests to plugin endpoints without CSRF tokens, or logs showing script injection in stored content.
Network Indicators:
- Monitor for unexpected redirects or script loads from the booking engine pages.
SIEM Query:
Example: source="web_server" AND (url="*/cultbooking*" AND method="POST") AND NOT csrf_token="*"