CVE-2024-53750 Overview
CVE-2024-53750 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability [CWE-352] in the Maeve Lander PayPal Responder plugin for WordPress. The flaw chains CSRF with stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), allowing attackers to persist malicious JavaScript through forged administrative requests. The vulnerability affects all PayPal Responder plugin versions up to and including 1.2. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as an authenticated administrator clicking an attacker-crafted link. Successful exploitation results in stored XSS execution in the context of WordPress administrators or site visitors.
Critical Impact
Attackers can inject persistent JavaScript into WordPress sites by tricking authenticated administrators into submitting forged requests, leading to session theft, account takeover, and arbitrary actions in the administrative context.
Affected Products
- Maeve Lander PayPal Responder WordPress plugin (all versions through 1.2)
- WordPress sites with the PayPal Responder plugin installed and activated
- Administrative sessions interacting with the affected plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-01 - CVE-2024-53750 published to NVD
- 2026-04-28 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-53750
Vulnerability Analysis
The PayPal Responder plugin fails to validate the origin and intent of state-changing HTTP requests. The plugin does not enforce CSRF tokens (WordPress nonces) on administrative actions that accept user-supplied input. Attackers exploit this gap by forcing an authenticated administrator's browser to submit requests to vulnerable plugin endpoints.
Because submitted values are stored without proper output encoding or input sanitization, attacker-supplied payloads persist in the database. When the stored content is later rendered in the browser, the injected JavaScript executes in the victim's session context. This combination converts a single forged request into a persistent client-side code execution primitive.
The attack chains two weaknesses: missing CSRF protection enables unauthorized writes, and missing output escaping converts those writes into stored XSS.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of CSRF token verification on plugin form handlers, combined with insufficient sanitization of user input before storage and rendering. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives, but the plugin does not enforce them on the affected endpoints.
Attack Vector
The attack proceeds over the network and requires victim interaction. An attacker hosts a malicious page containing a hidden form or fetch() request targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoint. When an authenticated WordPress administrator visits the attacker-controlled page, the browser submits the forged request with the administrator's session cookies. The plugin accepts the request, stores the attacker's payload, and serves it back as executable script on subsequent page loads. Reference: Patchstack Security Advisory.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-53750
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, event handlers, or obfuscated JavaScript stored in PayPal Responder plugin configuration fields or post content
- WordPress administrator sessions originating from unusual referrers immediately before plugin configuration changes
- Outbound requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains following visits to external pages
- Modification timestamps on PayPal Responder settings that do not correlate with legitimate administrative activity
Detection Strategies
- Audit WordPress database tables for plugin-managed content containing HTML tags, JavaScript event attributes, or encoded script payloads
- Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to PayPal Responder endpoints with Referer headers from non-WordPress domains
- Deploy web application firewall rules to flag administrative POST requests lacking valid WordPress nonce parameters
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor WordPress audit logs for plugin settings changes outside of approved maintenance windows
- Alert on browser-side execution of inline scripts in administrative pages where Content Security Policy violations occur
- Track failed and successful authentication events for administrator accounts following plugin configuration writes
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-53750
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the PayPal Responder plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor
- Audit all stored plugin data and remove any unauthorized script content or HTML payloads from the WordPress database
- Force password resets and session invalidation for all WordPress administrator accounts on affected sites
- Review recent administrative activity logs for unauthorized configuration changes attributable to this vulnerability
Patch Information
No vendor-supplied patch is referenced in the available advisory data. Versions through 1.2 are affected. Site operators should consult the Patchstack advisory and the plugin's distribution channel for any updated releases before reinstating the plugin.
Workarounds
- Remove the PayPal Responder plugin and replace it with an actively maintained alternative that enforces nonces and output escaping
- Restrict WordPress administrator access to dedicated browsers or sessions not used for general web browsing to reduce CSRF exposure
- Deploy a Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins
- Enforce strong SameSite=Strict cookie attributes on WordPress authentication cookies where compatible
# Example: disable the plugin via WP-CLI until remediation is confirmed
wp plugin deactivate paypal-responder
wp plugin delete paypal-responder
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
