CVE-2024-50555: Elementor Website Builder XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-50555 Overview

CVE-2024-50555 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Elementor Website Builder plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79), allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that are stored on the server and executed when users view affected pages.

Critical Impact

Attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject persistent malicious JavaScript that executes in the browsers of site visitors and administrators, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, and site defacement.

Affected Products

• Elementor Website Builder plugin versions up to and including 3.29.0
• WordPress installations running vulnerable Elementor versions
• Websites utilizing Elementor page builder functionality

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE-2024-50555 published to NVD
• 2026-02-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-50555

Vulnerability Analysis

This Stored XSS vulnerability exists within the Elementor Website Builder plugin, one of the most widely used WordPress page builder plugins. The vulnerability occurs due to insufficient input sanitization and output encoding when processing user-supplied content through Elementor's widget and element system.

Unlike reflected XSS attacks that require a victim to click a malicious link, Stored XSS payloads are persisted on the target server. When visitors or administrators access the compromised page, the malicious script executes automatically in their browser context. This makes Stored XSS particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users without requiring individual social engineering efforts.

The attack surface includes Elementor's various widgets and custom HTML elements where user input may not be properly sanitized before being stored in the WordPress database and rendered on the frontend.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-50555 is improper input validation and insufficient output encoding within the Elementor plugin. When user-supplied content is processed by affected Elementor components, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize special characters and HTML/JavaScript elements before storing them in the database. Subsequently, when this content is rendered on the page, the malicious payload executes in the context of the victim's browser session.

Attack Vector

An attacker with at least contributor-level privileges on a WordPress site can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious input containing JavaScript code through Elementor's page editing interface. The attack flow typically involves:

1. The attacker accesses the WordPress backend with appropriate permissions
2. Using Elementor's editor, the attacker injects a malicious script payload into a vulnerable widget or element
3. The payload is stored in the WordPress database without proper sanitization
4. When any user visits the affected page, the malicious script executes in their browser
5. The script can steal session cookies, redirect users, inject phishing content, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated administrators

For detailed technical information about the vulnerability mechanism, refer to the Patchstack security advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-50555

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected JavaScript code or <script> tags present in Elementor page content or widget data
• Suspicious iframe injections or external resource loading from unknown domains
• User reports of browser warnings, redirects, or unusual behavior when visiting specific pages
• Audit log entries showing modifications to pages by users who shouldn't have access
• Database entries in wp_postmeta containing encoded or obfuscated JavaScript payloads

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block XSS payloads in POST requests to WordPress admin endpoints
• Deploy file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes to Elementor templates and page content
• Utilize browser-based Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict inline script execution and report violations
• Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to track all content modifications with user attribution

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor server access logs for unusual patterns of page edits, especially from low-privilege user accounts
• Set up alerts for database modifications to Elementor-related tables that contain suspicious HTML or JavaScript patterns
• Review Content Security Policy violation reports for blocked inline scripts that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Regularly scan WordPress content for known XSS payload patterns using security scanning tools

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-50555

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Elementor Website Builder plugin to a version newer than 3.29.0 that addresses this vulnerability
• Review all pages and templates created with Elementor for suspicious content or unauthorized modifications
• Audit user accounts with contributor-level access or higher and revoke permissions from untrusted users
• Implement Content Security Policy headers to mitigate the impact of any existing XSS payloads

Patch Information

Elementor users should update to the latest available version of the plugin that patches this vulnerability. The update can be applied through the WordPress admin dashboard under Plugins > Installed Plugins, or via WP-CLI using wp plugin update elementor. Always backup your site before applying updates.

For more details, consult the Patchstack vulnerability database entry.

Workarounds

• Restrict Elementor editing capabilities to trusted administrators only by adjusting user roles and capabilities
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS protection rules as a temporary mitigation layer
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to prevent inline script execution site-wide
• Disable vulnerable Elementor widgets or features until the patch is applied if specific components are identified

# Example: Add Content Security Policy header via .htaccess
# Place in WordPress root directory
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
    Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://trusted-cdn.com; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';"
</IfModule>