CVE-2024-37258: Social Rocket WordPress Plugin XSS Flaw

CVE-2024-37258 Overview

CVE-2024-37258 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Social Rocket WordPress plugin developed by wpsocialrocket. The flaw affects all versions of Social Rocket up to and including 1.3.3. The plugin fails to properly neutralize user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript that executes in a victim's browser session. Exploitation requires user interaction, typically through a crafted link, and can lead to session theft, credential harvesting, or client-side redirection. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79.

Critical Impact
Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser by tricking authenticated WordPress users into clicking a crafted URL, potentially compromising admin sessions.

Affected Products

Social Rocket WordPress plugin versions through 1.3.3
WordPress sites with the wpsocialrocket Social Rocket plugin installed and active
All prior releases of Social Rocket up to the affected boundary

Discovery Timeline

2024-07-22 - CVE-2024-37258 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-37258

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issue in the Social Rocket WordPress plugin. The plugin echoes user-controlled request parameters back into rendered HTML output without applying appropriate output encoding or input sanitization. When a victim visits a URL containing an attacker-supplied payload, the injected script executes in the context of the vulnerable WordPress site.

Because the attack scope is marked as changed and the vulnerability affects both confidentiality and integrity at low levels, script execution can reach beyond the vulnerable component into the victim's authenticated session on the WordPress site. This includes access to authentication cookies not flagged HttpOnly, DOM data, and any privileged actions available to the logged-in user.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79). Social Rocket accepts request parameters and reflects them into the HTTP response body without escaping HTML metacharacters. WordPress provides sanitization helpers such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and wp_kses(), but the affected code paths in versions through 1.3.3 do not consistently apply them before rendering user input.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker crafts a malicious URL pointing to a vulnerable Social Rocket endpoint on a target WordPress site, embedding JavaScript within a reflected parameter. The attacker then delivers the URL through phishing email, social media, or a malicious third-party site. When an authenticated WordPress user, especially an administrator, clicks the link, the payload executes in their browser under the site's origin. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for additional technical context.

// No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available.
// Refer to the Patchstack advisory for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-37258

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to Social Rocket plugin endpoints containing script tags, javascript: URIs, or common XSS payload patterns such as onerror=, onload=, or <svg
WordPress access logs showing referrers from unknown external domains directing users to plugin URLs with unusual query parameters
Unexpected outbound requests from browser sessions of WordPress administrators immediately after visiting a Social Rocket page

Detection Strategies

Inspect WordPress access logs for URL-encoded HTML metacharacters (%3Cscript, %3Cimg, %22onerror) in requests to /wp-content/plugins/social-rocket/ paths
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set covering reflected XSS patterns targeting query parameters and POST bodies
Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to surface unexpected inline script execution originating from plugin pages

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor authenticated administrator sessions for anomalous actions immediately following clicks on external referrer links
Ingest WordPress and web server logs into a centralized data lake for correlation of XSS payload signatures across requests
Alert on new or modified admin accounts, plugin installations, and theme edits that follow suspicious inbound traffic to the plugin

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-37258

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Social Rocket plugin to a version later than 1.3.3 once the vendor releases a fixed build
If no patched version is available, deactivate and remove the Social Rocket plugin from all WordPress installations
Force logout of all WordPress administrator sessions and rotate credentials for any accounts that may have clicked suspicious links

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects Social Rocket versions through 1.3.3. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for the current fixed version and release notes.

Workarounds

Deploy a WAF with reflected XSS rules in front of the WordPress site to block payloads targeting plugin endpoints
Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins
Set the HttpOnly and Secure flags on all WordPress session cookies to limit the impact of client-side script execution
Restrict administrative access to WordPress by IP allowlist or VPN to reduce phishing exposure for privileged users

bash

# Example: disable and remove the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate social-rocket
wp plugin delete social-rocket