CVE-2024-52469 Overview
CVE-2024-52469 is a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability [CWE-79] in the Dhrubok Infotech Services WooCommerce Price Alert plugin (price-alert-woocommerce) for WordPress. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 1.0.4. Attackers can inject malicious script payloads that execute in a victim's browser when the user visits a crafted URL. Successful exploitation enables session theft, credential harvesting, or redirection to attacker-controlled infrastructure. The vulnerability requires user interaction but no authentication, expanding its viable attack surface across WordPress e-commerce deployments using this plugin.
Critical Impact
Reflected XSS enables unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in victim browsers, leading to account takeover, administrative session hijacking, and content manipulation on affected WooCommerce stores.
Affected Products
- Dhrubok Infotech Services WooCommerce Price Alert plugin
- All versions from n/a through 1.0.4
- WordPress sites running WooCommerce with the price-alert-woocommerce plugin installed
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-02 - CVE-2024-52469 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-52469
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation. The WooCommerce Price Alert plugin reflects HTTP request parameters back into the rendered HTML response without sufficient output encoding or input sanitization. When an attacker crafts a URL containing a malicious JavaScript payload, the plugin reflects that payload directly into the response page. The victim's browser then executes the script under the security context of the WordPress site origin. Because the scope is changed (S:C in the CVSS vector), the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component to other browser-trusted resources, including authenticated administrator sessions.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient sanitization of request parameters before they are echoed into HTML output. The plugin fails to apply WordPress core escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() to user-controlled data prior to rendering. This violates the WordPress Plugin Security guidance that requires contextual output escaping for all dynamic content.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires an attacker to deliver a crafted URL to a victim through phishing, malicious links embedded in third-party sites, or social engineering. When the victim, who may be an authenticated WordPress administrator, clicks the link, the injected payload runs in their browser session. The attacker can then exfiltrate session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, inject malicious content into the storefront, or pivot to administrative functions. No prior authentication is required from the attacker. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-52469
Indicators of Compromise
- Web server access logs containing requests to plugin endpoints with URL-encoded <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: payloads in query parameters
- Outbound HTTP requests from WordPress administrator browsers to unfamiliar external domains shortly after visiting plugin URLs
- Unexpected creation of administrator accounts or modification of WordPress user roles following user interaction with suspicious links
Detection Strategies
- Inspect HTTP request and response pairs for reflected user input that contains HTML or JavaScript metacharacters without encoding
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) ruleset that flags common XSS signatures targeting WordPress plugin parameters
- Correlate referer headers pointing to external phishing infrastructure with subsequent WordPress administrative actions
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging on WordPress administrative endpoints and review for anomalous parameter content
- Monitor browser-side Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script execution attempts
- Audit installed plugins regularly and track plugin versions against the Patchstack and WPScan vulnerability databases
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-52469
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations running the price-alert-woocommerce plugin at version 1.0.4 or earlier
- Deactivate and remove the WooCommerce Price Alert plugin until a patched version is verified
- Force-rotate WordPress administrator session tokens and reset credentials for users who may have clicked suspicious links
- Review user accounts, scheduled tasks, and theme or plugin files for unauthorized modifications
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, no fixed version was identified in the available references. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for current remediation status and check the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release from Dhrubok Infotech Services Ltd.
Workarounds
- Remove the plugin entirely if no patched version is available from the vendor
- Deploy a WAF with rules that block reflected XSS payloads targeting the price-alert-woocommerce plugin paths and parameters
- Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins
- Train administrators to avoid clicking unsolicited links to their own WordPress sites, particularly those containing unusual query strings
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
