CVE-2024-56023: WP eCommerce Quickpay XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-56023 Overview

CVE-2024-56023 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the PerfectSolution WP eCommerce Quickpay plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of wp-ecommerce-quickpay up to and including 1.1.0. The plugin fails to properly neutralize user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing attackers to inject script content that executes in a victim's browser. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link. The issue is classified under CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation).

Critical Impact

An attacker can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of a victim's session, enabling session theft, credential harvesting, and unauthorized actions against the WordPress site.

Affected Products

• PerfectSolution WP eCommerce Quickpay plugin for WordPress
• All versions from initial release through 1.1.0
• WordPress sites with the plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-02 - CVE-2024-56023 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-56023

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS flaw in the wp-ecommerce-quickpay plugin. The plugin echoes user-controlled request parameters back into the rendered HTML response without applying output encoding or input sanitization. An attacker crafts a URL containing a malicious payload in a vulnerable parameter and lures a victim to click it. The server reflects the payload into the response page, and the victim's browser executes the injected script in the site's origin.

Because the scope is changed (S:C), code injected by the plugin can affect resources beyond its own security context, including other components rendered on the same WordPress page. Attackers can use the flaw to steal session cookies, hijack authenticated sessions, redirect users to attacker-controlled domains, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated administrators if one is induced to click the link.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input sanitization and output encoding on parameters processed by the plugin. WordPress provides helper functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and sanitize_text_field() for safe handling of untrusted input. The vulnerable code path in wp-ecommerce-quickpay versions up to 1.1.0 does not apply these protections before reflecting parameter values into HTML output.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network and requires user interaction. The attacker constructs a URL targeting the vulnerable endpoint exposed by the plugin and embeds a JavaScript payload in a reflected parameter. Delivery typically uses phishing email, malicious chat messages, or compromised third-party sites. When the victim loads the URL, the browser executes the payload under the WordPress site's origin. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-56023

Indicators of Compromise

• Web server access logs containing requests to wp-ecommerce-quickpay endpoints with parameter values containing <script>, javascript:, onerror=, onload=, or URL-encoded equivalents (%3Cscript%3E).
• Unexpected outbound requests from user browsers to attacker-controlled domains shortly after visiting WordPress pages served by the affected site.
• Sudden creation of unauthorized WordPress administrator accounts or modification of user roles following an XSS click-through event.

Detection Strategies

• Inspect HTTP request and response pairs for reflected parameter values that include HTML or JavaScript syntax.
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set, such as the OWASP Core Rule Set, to flag XSS payload patterns targeting the plugin endpoints.
• Correlate referrer headers and User-Agent strings on suspicious requests to identify phishing-driven exploitation campaigns.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward WordPress and reverse-proxy logs to a centralized analytics platform and alert on XSS payload signatures.
• Monitor for new or modified WordPress administrator accounts, plugin installations, and theme edits originating from authenticated sessions.
• Track Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports to identify blocked inline script execution attempts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-56023

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate the wp-ecommerce-quickpay plugin on any WordPress site running version 1.1.0 or earlier until a vendor patch is verified.
• Apply WAF rules that filter reflected XSS payloads targeting plugin parameters.
• Force password resets for WordPress administrators and invalidate active sessions if exploitation is suspected.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the advisory lists the vulnerability as affecting versions up to and including 1.1.0 with no fixed version confirmed. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release before re-enabling the plugin.

Workarounds

• Remove the plugin entirely if it is not business-critical and replace it with a maintained alternative.
• Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that blocks inline scripts and limits script sources to trusted origins.
• Restrict access to WordPress admin pages by IP allow-listing to reduce the impact of session hijacking through reflected XSS.

# Example: temporarily disable the plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate wp-ecommerce-quickpay
wp plugin status wp-ecommerce-quickpay