CVE-2024-51633 Overview
CVE-2024-51633 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability [CWE-352] in the ivycat Simple Page Specific Sidebars WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.14.1. An attacker can chain the CSRF weakness into a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack against an authenticated administrator. Successful exploitation persists malicious JavaScript in the WordPress backend, which then executes in the browser of any user who loads the affected page.
Critical Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can trick an authenticated WordPress administrator into submitting a forged request that stores arbitrary JavaScript within the plugin's sidebar configuration, leading to persistent XSS in the administrative interface.
Affected Products
- ivycat Simple Page Specific Sidebars WordPress plugin (page-specific-sidebars)
- All versions from n/a through <= 2.14.1
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-11-19 - CVE-2024-51633 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-51633
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing CSRF protections on a state-changing request handler in the Simple Page Specific Sidebars plugin. The plugin does not validate a nonce or other anti-CSRF token before accepting sidebar configuration updates. As a result, an attacker can craft a malicious page that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, silently submits a request that modifies the plugin's stored data.
Because the plugin also fails to sanitize or encode the input it accepts, attacker-supplied JavaScript persists in the database. The stored payload then executes whenever an administrator or other authorized user loads the affected page, producing a Stored XSS condition. User interaction is required for exploitation, but no authentication or special privileges are needed on the attacker side.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing nonce check on a privileged request handler combined with inadequate input sanitization and output encoding. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() to defend against CSRF, but the affected plugin code paths do not invoke these primitives. Storing unsanitized HTML in the sidebar configuration converts the CSRF flaw into a persistent script injection vector.
Attack Vector
The attack is delivered over the network and requires victim interaction. An attacker hosts a webpage containing a hidden form or fetch() call that targets the WordPress admin endpoint exposed by the plugin. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker-controlled page, the browser submits the forged request with the admin's session cookies attached. The payload is then persisted and executed within the WordPress administrative context. See the Patchstack CVE Analysis for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-51633
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, event handlers, or obfuscated JavaScript stored within plugin configuration records in the wp_options or related tables.
- Outbound requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar third-party domains immediately after loading WordPress admin pages.
- Newly created administrator accounts or modified user roles that do not correspond to authorized activity.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect plugin configuration entries for HTML markup or script content that should not appear in sidebar settings.
- Review WordPress access logs for POST requests to the plugin's admin endpoints lacking a valid Referer header or originating from external domains.
- Audit the page-specific-sidebars plugin version across all WordPress installations and flag any instance at or below 2.14.1.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable web application firewall (WAF) logging for WordPress admin endpoints and alert on cross-origin POST requests.
- Monitor administrator sessions for anomalous browser activity, including unexpected DOM modifications and outbound script loads.
- Track plugin file integrity and database changes to detect persistence of injected payloads.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-51633
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites running Simple Page Specific Sidebars version 2.14.1 or earlier and prioritize them for remediation.
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks and require administrators to log out of unrelated browser sessions before accessing the WordPress dashboard.
- Review plugin-managed sidebar entries for injected scripts and remove any unauthorized content.
Patch Information
No fixed version is listed in the available CVE data. Administrators should consult the Patchstack CVE Analysis and the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release. If no patched version is available, deactivate and remove the plugin.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and uninstall the page-specific-sidebars plugin until a patched version is published.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks cross-origin POST requests to WordPress admin endpoints associated with the plugin.
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) on the WordPress admin interface to limit execution of inline and third-party scripts.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
