CVE-2024-53717 Overview
CVE-2024-53717 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the yPHPlista WordPress plugin developed by yonisink. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.1.1. An attacker can chain the CSRF weakness into a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack by tricking an authenticated administrator into submitting a forged request. The malicious payload is then persisted within the plugin and executed in the browser of any user who views the affected page. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-352] Cross-Site Request Forgery.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to inject persistent JavaScript into WordPress sites running yPHPlista, leading to session theft, account takeover, and unauthorized administrative actions.
Affected Products
- yonisink yPHPlista plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 1.1.1
- WordPress installations with the yphplista plugin enabled
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-02 - CVE-2024-53717 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-53717
Vulnerability Analysis
The yPHPlista plugin fails to validate the origin and authenticity of state-changing HTTP requests. The plugin does not enforce anti-CSRF tokens (nonces) on endpoints that accept user-controlled input destined for persistent storage. An attacker hosts a malicious page containing a crafted form or fetch request. When a logged-in administrator visits that page, the browser automatically submits the request with valid session cookies. The plugin processes the request as legitimate and stores attacker-supplied content without sanitization or output encoding.
The stored payload executes in the context of the WordPress origin every time a victim renders the affected view. This converts a single CSRF interaction into a persistent client-side compromise.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing CSRF protection combined with insufficient input sanitization and output encoding. WordPress provides the wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives for CSRF defense, but the affected plugin code paths do not use them. The absence of contextual escaping on the rendered output (esc_html, esc_attr, wp_kses) allows the injected markup to execute as script.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker crafts a webpage hosting a hidden auto-submitting form targeted at a vulnerable yPHPlista endpoint. The attacker lures an authenticated WordPress administrator to that page through phishing or a watering-hole link. Once the request executes, the injected XSS payload persists in the plugin's data store. Any subsequent visitor to the affected page executes the attacker's JavaScript in the WordPress security context.
No code example is included because no verified proof-of-concept is publicly available. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-53717
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script>, <iframe>, or event-handler attributes stored in yPHPlista plugin database tables or options.
- WordPress administrator accounts created or modified without a corresponding audit trail.
- Outbound requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains immediately after visiting WordPress admin pages.
- HTTP POST requests to yPHPlista endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external sites.
Detection Strategies
- Audit the WordPress wp_options and plugin-specific tables for HTML or JavaScript content that should contain plain text.
- Review web server access logs for state-changing requests to yPHPlista URLs that lack a same-origin Referer.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule that blocks requests to yPHPlista handlers when nonce parameters are absent or invalid.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging to capture administrator-initiated changes and correlate them with browsing context.
- Monitor browser DOM telemetry for script execution originating from yPHPlista-rendered pages.
- Alert on Content Security Policy violation reports referencing inline scripts on admin pages.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-53717
Immediate Actions Required
- Disable or remove the yPHPlista plugin from any WordPress instance running version 1.1.1 or earlier until a vendor patch is verified.
- Force a password reset and session invalidation for all WordPress administrator accounts.
- Review plugin-managed content for injected script tags and remove malicious entries.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the vendor advisory referenced through Patchstack does not list a fixed version. Administrators should monitor the plugin repository for an update beyond 1.1.1 and apply it immediately when released.
Workarounds
- Uninstall the yPHPlista plugin entirely if business requirements do not mandate its use.
- Restrict WordPress administrator access to dedicated browsers or sessions that do not browse untrusted content.
- Deploy a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts on /wp-admin/ paths.
- Place the WordPress admin interface behind IP allow-listing or VPN access to reduce CSRF exposure.
# Configuration example: deactivate the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate yphplista
wp plugin delete yphplista
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
