CVE-2024-53736 Overview
CVE-2024-53736 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Jason Grim Custom Shortcode Sidebars WordPress plugin. The flaw affects versions up to and including 1.2. When chained with a CSRF attack, the plugin allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject persistent JavaScript payloads into the site, resulting in Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). Exploitation requires a privileged WordPress user to interact with a crafted link or page controlled by the attacker. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery.
Critical Impact
A successful attack stores attacker-controlled JavaScript in the WordPress site, executing in the browser of any visitor or administrator and enabling session theft, account takeover, or further site compromise.
Affected Products
- Jason Grim Custom Shortcode Sidebars plugin for WordPress
- All versions from n/a through 1.2
- WordPress sites with the custom-shortcode-sidebars plugin active
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-11-28 - CVE-2024-53736 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-53736
Vulnerability Analysis
The Custom Shortcode Sidebars plugin exposes administrative actions that modify sidebar content without validating the origin of the request. The plugin does not implement WordPress nonce verification on state-changing endpoints. This omission allows an attacker to forge requests that execute under the authenticated session of a logged-in administrator.
The second-order impact is Stored XSS. Input sent through the forged request is saved into the plugin's persisted configuration and later rendered without proper output encoding. JavaScript supplied by the attacker executes in every browser that loads a page containing the affected shortcode.
Exploitation requires user interaction. An administrator must visit a malicious page while authenticated to the WordPress dashboard. The scope is changed because the injected script executes in the WordPress origin and can affect other users, including non-administrative visitors.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing CSRF protection [CWE-352] on plugin actions that update sidebar shortcode definitions. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives, but the plugin does not invoke them on the affected handlers. A secondary defect — insufficient sanitization and escaping of stored values — allows the forged input to be rendered as executable HTML.
Attack Vector
The attacker hosts a page containing a hidden form or fetch() call targeting the vulnerable WordPress endpoint. The payload includes JavaScript intended to be stored in a sidebar definition. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker's page, the browser submits the forged request with valid session cookies. The plugin accepts the request, stores the malicious payload, and renders it to subsequent visitors. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-53736
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, event handlers, or obfuscated JavaScript stored within sidebar shortcode definitions in the WordPress database.
- Outbound requests from site visitors to unknown domains shortly after rendering pages that contain the plugin's shortcodes.
- Administrator account modifications, new user creation, or plugin installations not initiated by legitimate staff.
Detection Strategies
- Audit the wp_options and plugin-specific tables for sidebar entries containing HTML control characters such as <, >, or javascript: URIs.
- Review web server access logs for POST requests to wp-admin endpoints associated with the custom-shortcode-sidebars plugin originating from external Referer headers.
- Inspect rendered pages for inline scripts that do not match the site's expected template output.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to capture option changes and administrative actions tied to the plugin.
- Monitor administrator browser sessions for cross-origin requests to /wp-admin/admin-post.php and similar handlers.
- Alert on file integrity changes to plugin directories and on database writes containing script-like content.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-53736
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate the Custom Shortcode Sidebars plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the maintainer.
- Inspect all sidebar shortcode definitions and remove any entries containing untrusted HTML or JavaScript.
- Force a password reset for all administrative accounts and invalidate active WordPress sessions.
Patch Information
No fixed version is listed in the NVD record at the time of publication. Versions up to and including 1.2 are affected. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the plugin's repository for an official update.
Workarounds
- Remove the plugin entirely if a patched version is not available and replace it with a maintained alternative.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that requires a valid WordPress nonce on plugin administrative endpoints.
- Restrict administrative access to known IP addresses and require multi-factor authentication on all WordPress admin accounts to reduce the likelihood that a CSRF payload reaches a privileged session.
# Disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate custom-shortcode-sidebars
wp plugin delete custom-shortcode-sidebars
# Audit options table for stored script content
wp db query "SELECT option_name FROM wp_options WHERE option_value LIKE '%<script%';"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
