CVE-2024-53776
📋 TL;DR
This CSRF vulnerability in the Donate Me WordPress plugin allows attackers to trick authenticated administrators into performing actions that inject malicious scripts. When exploited, it leads to stored cross-site scripting (XSS), affecting all WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of the plugin.
💻 Affected Systems
- Donate Me 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 persistent malicious scripts that steal administrator credentials, deface websites, or redirect visitors to malicious sites, potentially compromising the entire WordPress installation.
Likely Case
Attackers create fake donation forms or modify plugin settings to inject malicious JavaScript that steals session cookies or performs unauthorized actions when administrators view affected pages.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and input validation, the vulnerability would be prevented from being exploited, maintaining normal plugin functionality.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to trick an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link while logged into WordPress.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 1.2.5
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/donate-me/vulnerability/wordpress-donate-me-plugin-1-2-5-csrf-to-stored-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Donate Me' and click 'Update Now' if available. 4. If no update is available, deactivate and delete the plugin, then install the latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Tokens
allAdd CSRF protection tokens to all form submissions and AJAX requests in the plugin code.
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement strict input validation and output encoding for all user-controllable data processed by the plugin.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Deactivate and remove the Donate Me plugin immediately
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block CSRF attempts and XSS payloads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for Donate Me version. If version is 1.2.5 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=donate-me --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the Donate Me plugin version is higher than 1.2.5 in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with donation-related parameters
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations in WordPress debug logs
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected iframe or form submissions to donation endpoints from external domains
- JavaScript injection patterns in HTTP requests
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND (param_name="action" AND param_value LIKE "%donate%") AND NOT referer CONTAINS own_domain)