CVE-2024-44028 Overview
CVE-2024-44028 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the NiceJob WordPress plugin that enables Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The flaw affects all NiceJob plugin versions up to and including 3.6.5. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when triggered by an authenticated administrator, injects persistent JavaScript into the WordPress site. The injected script then executes in the browser of any visitor or administrator who loads the affected page. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery.
Critical Impact
A successful attack chains CSRF with Stored XSS, allowing arbitrary script execution under the trust boundary of the WordPress site and potentially leading to session theft, administrative account takeover, or malicious redirects.
Affected Products
- NiceJob WordPress plugin versions through 3.6.5
- WordPress sites with the NiceJob plugin installed and active
- Administrative users of sites running vulnerable NiceJob releases
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-10-06 - CVE-2024-44028 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-44028
Vulnerability Analysis
The NiceJob plugin exposes state-changing actions without sufficient anti-CSRF protections such as WordPress nonces or referer validation. When an authenticated administrator visits an attacker-controlled page, the browser submits a forged request to the WordPress site using the administrator's session cookies. The plugin processes that request and stores attacker-supplied input without proper sanitization or output encoding. The stored payload renders as executable JavaScript when the affected page is later viewed.
This flaw requires user interaction, since the administrator must visit the malicious page or click a crafted link. The attack scope changes from the WordPress backend to the browser execution context of any visitor, which is why the impact extends beyond a single user account.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of CSRF tokens on plugin endpoints that accept and persist user input, combined with missing output sanitization on the rendered fields. WordPress provides the wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives precisely to prevent this class of issue, and the plugin did not enforce them on the vulnerable handlers. The secondary defect is the lack of esc_html() or wp_kses() filtering on the stored values before they are echoed into HTML responses.
Attack Vector
Exploitation proceeds in two stages. First, the attacker hosts a malicious HTML page containing an auto-submitting form or fetch() request targeting the vulnerable NiceJob endpoint. Second, the attacker lures a logged-in WordPress administrator to that page through phishing or watering-hole techniques. The browser automatically attaches authentication cookies, and the forged request stores the XSS payload. Every subsequent load of the affected page in any user's browser executes the injected script. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-44028
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script>, onerror, or onload attributes stored in NiceJob plugin settings or content tables within the WordPress database
- Outbound requests from site visitors' browsers to attacker-controlled domains following page loads of NiceJob-rendered content
- WordPress administrator sessions originating from unfamiliar IP addresses shortly after a known phishing campaign
- Unexplained modifications to NiceJob plugin configuration with no corresponding entry in the WordPress audit log
Detection Strategies
- Inspect the wp_options table and NiceJob-specific tables for HTML or JavaScript content that should not be present in plain text fields
- Monitor HTTP POST requests to NiceJob admin endpoints that lack a valid _wpnonce parameter or originate from external referers
- Deploy a web application firewall ruleset that flags cross-origin POST requests targeting /wp-admin/admin.php or admin-ajax.php actions associated with the plugin
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging to capture all plugin configuration changes and administrator authentication events
- Configure a Content Security Policy (CSP) that restricts inline scripts and report violations to a monitored endpoint
- Review web server access logs for repeated administrator-targeted requests preceded by external referer headers from unknown domains
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-44028
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the NiceJob WordPress plugin to a version newer than 3.6.5 as soon as the vendor publishes a fix
- Audit all NiceJob configuration fields for previously injected scripts and remove malicious content
- Force a password reset and session invalidation for all WordPress administrator accounts on affected sites
- Restrict administrator access to dedicated browser profiles that are not used for general web browsing
Patch Information
The vulnerability affects NiceJob versions through 3.6.5. Site operators should apply the fixed plugin release referenced in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report. If no fixed version is available, deactivate and remove the plugin until a patched build is published.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the NiceJob plugin on affected WordPress installations until a patched release is applied
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that requires a valid WordPress nonce for state-changing requests to NiceJob endpoints
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline JavaScript and limits script sources to trusted origins
- Require administrators to use multi-factor authentication and avoid browsing untrusted sites while logged in to WordPress
# Example WordPress CLI commands to disable the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate nicejob
wp plugin status nicejob
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
