CVE-2024-49642: Rafasashi Todo Custom Field XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-49642 Overview

CVE-2024-49642 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the rafasashi Todo Custom Field WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions of the plugin up to and including 3.0.4. Attackers can inject unsanitized script content into a web page that reflects user-supplied input back to the browser. Successful exploitation requires a victim to interact with a crafted link or request. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-79, Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation.

Critical Impact

Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser session, enabling session token theft, credential harvesting, or unauthorized administrative actions on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

• Rafasashi Todo Custom Field WordPress plugin, all versions through 3.0.4
• WordPress sites running the todo-custom-field plugin
• Any environment exposing the plugin's vulnerable endpoints to untrusted users

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-10-29 - CVE-2024-49642 published to NVD
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-49642

Vulnerability Analysis

The Todo Custom Field plugin fails to properly neutralize user-controlled input before returning it within HTML output. When a request parameter is echoed back to the response without contextual encoding, an attacker-supplied payload executes as script in the victim's browser. This is a classic reflected XSS pattern where the malicious payload is delivered through a crafted URL or form submission. The attack executes in the security context of the vulnerable WordPress site, giving the attacker access to cookies, session storage, and the Document Object Model (DOM). Because the scope is changed per the CVSS vector, code running via this flaw can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component itself.

Root Cause

The plugin does not sanitize or escape user-supplied parameters prior to embedding them into the rendered response. Missing output encoding functions such as WordPress esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() allow HTML and JavaScript markup to survive intact. This falls under CWE-79.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires user interaction. An attacker crafts a URL containing a JavaScript payload in a vulnerable parameter and delivers it via phishing email, chat, or a malicious website. When an authenticated WordPress user clicks the link, the payload executes in their browser context. If the victim holds administrative privileges, the attacker can perform privileged actions such as creating users or modifying plugin settings. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49642

Indicators of Compromise

• Web server access logs containing request parameters with <script>, javascript:, onerror=, or URL-encoded equivalents such as %3Cscript%3E targeting todo-custom-field endpoints.
• Unexpected outbound requests from browsers to attacker-controlled domains shortly after users visit plugin-related URLs.
• Suspicious WordPress administrative actions originating from legitimate accounts without corresponding user activity.

Detection Strategies

• Inspect HTTP request and response bodies for reflected input patterns tied to the todo-custom-field plugin URLs.
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that flag common XSS payload signatures on WordPress plugin endpoints.
• Correlate browser telemetry with WordPress audit logs to identify script execution followed by privileged operations.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose access logging on WordPress instances and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform for pattern analysis.
• Alert on requests to plugin paths that contain HTML tag characters or JavaScript event handler substrings.
• Track plugin version inventory across WordPress deployments to identify hosts still running versions at or below 3.0.4.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49642

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all WordPress installations running the Todo Custom Field plugin at version 3.0.4 or earlier.
• Disable or remove the plugin from any site where an updated version is not yet available.
• Educate administrators and editors to avoid clicking untrusted links pointing to their own WordPress sites.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no fixed version has been indicated in the NVD entry or the Patchstack Vulnerability Report. Site owners should monitor the plugin's WordPress.org page for a security release and apply it as soon as it is available.

Workarounds

• Deactivate and delete the todo-custom-field plugin until a patched version is released.
• Deploy WAF rules that block reflected XSS payloads on requests targeting the plugin's endpoints.
• Enforce a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins.
• Require administrators to use browser isolation or dedicated administrative browsers to limit blast radius.

# Example WAF rule concept (ModSecurity syntax)
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains todo-custom-field" \
    "chain,deny,status:403,id:1004964,msg:'Potential XSS on Todo Custom Field plugin'"
    SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(<script|onerror=|javascript:)" "t:urlDecodeUni,t:htmlEntityDecode"