CVE-2024-53754 Overview
CVE-2024-53754 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the Irish_Cathal Out Of Stock Badge plugin for WordPress. The flaw exists in versions through 2.0 and is classified under [CWE-352]. According to the Patchstack advisory, the CSRF condition can be chained to achieve stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), expanding the impact beyond a simple state-changing request. An attacker exploits this issue by tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a crafted link or visiting a malicious page. Successful exploitation can lead to persistent script injection within the affected WordPress site.
Critical Impact
A successful CSRF-to-stored-XSS chain allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of administrators visiting affected WordPress pages.
Affected Products
- Irish_Cathal Out Of Stock Badge WordPress plugin (slug: out-of-stock-badge)
- All versions up to and including 2.0
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-02 - CVE-2024-53754 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-53754
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw in the Out Of Stock Badge WordPress plugin. The plugin processes state-changing requests without verifying an anti-CSRF token (commonly a WordPress nonce). An attacker hosts a malicious page that issues a forged request to the plugin's settings endpoint. When an authenticated administrator visits that page, the browser submits the request using the administrator's active session cookies. The Patchstack advisory notes the CSRF flaw can be chained with insufficient input sanitization to persist attacker-controlled JavaScript, producing stored XSS.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or inadequate CSRF protection in the plugin's request handlers. The plugin does not validate a wp_nonce or referrer check before accepting administrative actions. Combined with weak output encoding, attacker-supplied content reaches storage and is later rendered to other users without sanitization.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network and requires user interaction from a privileged WordPress user. An attacker crafts an HTML page containing a hidden form or fetch request that targets the vulnerable plugin endpoint. The administrator is lured to the page through phishing, comment links, or compromised third-party content. Once submitted, the forged request stores attacker-controlled payloads. Subsequent administrator visits to the affected page execute the injected script.
No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-53754
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags or JavaScript event handlers stored in plugin settings or rendered badge content
- WordPress admin actions originating from external Referer headers unrelated to the site domain
- New or modified plugin option values in wp_options with timestamps that do not align with administrator activity
- Outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to unknown domains after viewing product pages
Detection Strategies
- Audit the WordPress database for stored content containing HTML or JavaScript in fields tied to the out-of-stock-badge plugin
- Review web server access logs for POST requests to plugin admin endpoints lacking valid Referer headers from the same origin
- Inspect rendered product pages for injected scripts or unexpected DOM modifications
- Compare current plugin option values against known-good baselines
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to record administrative setting changes and the user agent or IP behind each change
- Forward web server and WordPress logs to a centralized logging platform for correlation
- Monitor administrator browser sessions for anomalous cross-site form submissions
- Alert on creation or modification of plugin options containing HTML tag characters such as <, >, or script
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-53754
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations running the Out Of Stock Badge plugin at version 2.0 or earlier
- Deactivate and remove the plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor
- Rotate administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if exploitation is suspected
- Review stored plugin configuration for injected scripts and remove malicious content
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, the advisory lists affected versions from n/a through <= 2.0 with no fixed version specified. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release that adds nonce validation and input sanitization.
Workarounds
- Remove or disable the plugin on production sites until a vendor patch is released
- Restrict access to the WordPress admin interface using IP allow-listing or VPN
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks requests to plugin endpoints missing a valid wp_nonce parameter
- Train administrators to avoid clicking unsolicited links while authenticated to WordPress
# Configuration example: remove the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate out-of-stock-badge
wp plugin delete out-of-stock-badge
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
