CVE-2024-8962 – The WPBITS Addons For Elementor plugin for Word... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

The WPBITS Addons For Elementor plugin for WordPress has a stored XSS vulnerability in versions up to 1.5.2. Authenticated attackers with Author-level access can upload malicious SVG files containing JavaScript that executes when users view those files. This affects all WordPress sites using the vulnerable plugin version.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

WPBITS Addons For Elementor Page Builder

Versions: All versions up to and including 1.5.2

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires WordPress with Elementor and the vulnerable plugin installed. Attackers need Author-level access or higher.

📦 What is this software?

Wpbits Addons For Elementor Page Builder by Wpbits

View all CVEs affecting Wpbits Addons For Elementor Page Builder →

⚠️ 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 inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies, redirect visitors to phishing sites, or display unwanted content.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper user access controls and content security policies, impact is limited to isolated script execution within the SVG context.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires authenticated access but is technically simple - just uploading a malicious SVG file.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 1.5.3 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpbits-addons-for-elementor/#developers

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find 'WPBITS Addons For Elementor'
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. If no update appears, manually download version 1.5.3+ from WordPress.org

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable SVG uploads via .htaccess

linux

Prevent SVG file uploads at the web server level

Add to .htaccess: <FilesMatch "\.svg$">
    Order Allow,Deny
    Deny from all
</FilesMatch>

Restrict user roles

all

Limit Author-level and higher access to trusted users only

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Temporarily disable the WPBITS Addons plugin until patched
Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin → Plugins → WPBITS Addons For Elementor → Version. If version is 1.5.2 or lower, you're vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin list --name="WPBITS Addons For Elementor" --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, verify plugin version shows 1.5.3 or higher in WordPress admin panel.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual SVG file uploads by Author-level users
Multiple failed SVG upload attempts

Network Indicators:

Requests to SVG files with suspicious parameters
External script loads from SVG file accesses

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress" AND (event="plugin_update" AND plugin="wpbits-addons-for-elementor" AND version<="1.5.2") OR (event="file_upload" AND file_extension="svg" AND user_role="author")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-8962

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: December 4, 2024

Last Updated: February 27, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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