CVE-2024-7982
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Registrations for the Events Calendar WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into event registration forms. When exploited, it enables cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks that can steal user sessions, redirect visitors, or deface websites. All WordPress sites running vulnerable plugin versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Registrations for the Events Calendar WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site takeover through session hijacking, credential theft, malware distribution to visitors, and persistent defacement of all pages with event registration forms.
Likely Case
Session hijacking of administrators or users, credential theft through fake login forms, and malicious redirects to phishing sites.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and input validation, though XSS payloads could still execute in some contexts.
🎯 Exploit Status
XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins are frequently weaponized. The unauthenticated nature and CVSS 9.6 score make this attractive to attackers.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.12.4
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/d79e1e9c-980d-4974-bfbd-d87d6e28d9a6/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Registrations for the Events Calendar'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update is available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 2.12.4+ from WordPress.org and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patching is possible
wp plugin deactivate registrations-for-the-events-calendar
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to mitigate XSS impact
Add to .htaccess: Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
Add to nginx config: add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'";
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable event registration functionality in plugin settings
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in registration parameters
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins → Registrations for the Events Calendar → Version numberCheck Version:
wp plugin get registrations-for-the-events-calendar --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 2.12.4 or higher in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with registration parameters containing script tags or JavaScript
- Multiple failed registration attempts with suspicious payloads
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing <script>, javascript:, or encoded XSS payloads in registration form parameters
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("action=rftec" OR "registrations-for-the-events-calendar") AND ("<script" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload=")