CVE-2024-9059
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated WordPress users with Contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts into pages using the Royal Elementor Addons plugin's Google Maps widget. The scripts execute whenever users view the compromised pages, enabling session hijacking, defacement, or malware distribution. All WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 1.7.1001 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Royal Elementor Addons and Templates WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
Royal Elementor Addons by Royal Elementor Addons
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator credentials, redirect users to malicious sites, install backdoors, or completely compromise the WordPress site and potentially the hosting server.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor access inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies, redirect visitors to phishing pages, or deface website content.
If Mitigated
With proper user role management and input validation, the risk is limited to authenticated users only, preventing unauthenticated attacks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is technically simple once authenticated. The vulnerability is well-documented in security advisories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.7.1002
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/royal-elementor-addons/tags/1.7.1002
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Royal Elementor Addons and Templates'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update to version 1.7.1002 or later. 5. Verify the update completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Google Maps Widget
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable Google Maps widget until patching is possible
Restrict User Roles
allLimit contributor-level access and review user permissions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS impact
- Use Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads targeting the Google Maps widget
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Royal Elementor Addons and Templates > Version number. If version is 1.7.1001 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name='royal-elementor-addons' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the plugin version shows 1.7.1002 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to Google Maps widget endpoints
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful contributor login
- Suspicious JavaScript payloads in page content
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from WordPress site after page views
- Suspicious iframe or script tags in HTTP responses
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND parameters CONTAINS "wpr_google_maps") OR (message CONTAINS "Royal Elementor" AND message CONTAINS "XSS")