CVE-2024-54429 Overview
CVE-2024-54429 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Aphorismus WordPress plugin by ivan-ovsyannikov. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.2.0. Attackers can chain the CSRF weakness with Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) to inject persistent JavaScript payloads into the WordPress site. Exploitation requires an authenticated user, typically an administrator, to interact with an attacker-controlled link or page. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352 for missing CSRF protections.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables stored JavaScript execution in administrator browsers, leading to session theft, account takeover, and persistent site compromise.
Affected Products
- ivan-ovsyannikov Aphorismus WordPress plugin
- All versions from initial release through 1.2.0
- WordPress installations with the plugin enabled
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-16 - CVE-2024-54429 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-54429
Vulnerability Analysis
The Aphorismus plugin exposes state-changing actions without validating anti-CSRF tokens. An attacker crafts a malicious page that submits a forged request to a vulnerable plugin endpoint. When an authenticated WordPress administrator visits the page, the browser automatically sends the request with valid session cookies. The plugin processes the request and stores attacker-supplied input without sufficient sanitization or output encoding. The stored payload subsequently executes in the browser of any user who renders the affected content, escalating a CSRF flaw into Stored XSS.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of nonce validation on plugin form handlers, classified under [CWE-352]. The plugin does not verify WordPress wp_nonce tokens before persisting user-controlled input. The same handler also fails to sanitize or escape that input before saving it to the database or rendering it back to the page, which produces the stored XSS sink.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access and user interaction, but no privileges on the target site. The attacker hosts a page containing an auto-submitting HTML form or XMLHttpRequest that targets the vulnerable Aphorismus endpoint. The victim must hold an active authenticated session in WordPress when visiting the attacker page. Because the scope is changed, the injected script executes in the WordPress origin and can manipulate the admin dashboard, create new administrator accounts, or pivot to further compromise.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is referenced in the enriched data. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-54429
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, event handlers, or obfuscated JavaScript stored in Aphorismus plugin content fields or related database tables.
- WordPress access logs showing POST requests to Aphorismus plugin endpoints sourced from external Referer headers.
- New or modified administrator accounts created shortly after an admin browsing session.
- Outbound HTTP requests from admin browsers to unfamiliar domains when loading WordPress admin pages.
Detection Strategies
- Review the wp_options and plugin-specific tables for HTML or JavaScript characters in fields that should contain plain text.
- Inspect web server logs for cross-origin POST requests targeting Aphorismus admin actions without a matching _wpnonce parameter.
- Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags requests to WordPress admin endpoints lacking nonce parameters.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to capture changes to plugin settings and user roles.
- Alert on creation of new administrator accounts or modification of existing user capabilities.
- Monitor outbound traffic from administrator workstations for connections to known malicious or newly registered domains.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-54429
Immediate Actions Required
- Disable or remove the Aphorismus plugin until a patched version is confirmed available.
- Audit existing plugin content and database entries for previously injected scripts and remove malicious payloads.
- Force a password reset and session invalidation for all WordPress administrator accounts.
- Review recently created users and scheduled tasks for unauthorized changes.
Patch Information
The enriched CVE data does not reference a fixed version. The vulnerability affects Aphorismus through 1.2.0. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest vendor remediation status before re-enabling the plugin.
Workarounds
- Remove the plugin from production WordPress installations until a vendor fix is verified.
- Deploy WAF rules that require a valid Origin or Referer header matching the site domain for WordPress admin POST requests.
- Restrict WordPress admin access by IP allowlisting or VPN to reduce CSRF exposure.
- Apply a Content Security Policy (CSP) that blocks inline scripts to limit Stored XSS execution impact.
# Configuration example: disable the Aphorismus plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate aphorismus
wp plugin delete aphorismus
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
