CVE-2024-0618 Fastest Contact Form Builder Plugin for WordPress Vulnerability

CVE-2024-0618 is a vulnerability identified in the “Contact Form Plugin – Fastest Contact Form Builder Plugin for WordPress” by Fluent Forms. This vulnerability is categorized as Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and arises due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. It affects all versions of the plugin up to and including version 5.1.5.

The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers, specifically those with administrator-level access, to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages. These scripts will execute whenever a user accesses a page that has been compromised by the injection. It’s important to note that this vulnerability only impacts multi-site installations of WordPress and installations where the unfiltered_html capability has been disabled.

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) version 3 has rated this vulnerability as having a medium severity level with a base score of 4.4. The score is derived based on factors such as the requirement of high privileges for exploitation (high privileges required), the complexity of the attack (high complexity), and the nature of the impact, which includes low confidentiality and integrity impact with no impact on availability.

Impact of CVE-2024-0618

The primary impact of CVE-2024-0618, classified as a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability, is on the integrity and confidentiality of websites using the affected plugin. Specifically:

1. Integrity: Attackers can inject and execute arbitrary web scripts on the affected site, potentially modifying the website’s content or behavior.
2. Confidentiality: The vulnerability can be exploited to steal sensitive information from users or website administrators by capturing cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive data.

The vulnerability does not impact the availability of the website or service.

Affected Software

CVE-2024-0618 specifically affects the “Contact Form Plugin – Fastest Contact Form Builder Plugin for WordPress” by Fluent Forms in versions up to and including 5.1.5. It is important for organizations and individuals using this plugin in a WordPress environment to be aware of this vulnerability, especially in multi-site installations and installations where the unfiltered_html capability has been disabled.

Mitigation and Remediation

To mitigate and remediate the vulnerability, the following steps are recommended:

1. Update the Plugin: Users should update to a version of the Fluent Forms plugin that is later than 5.1.5, as this issue has been addressed in subsequent releases.
2. Regular Updates: Keep WordPress and all plugins up to date to protect against known vulnerabilities.
3. Access Control: Limit administrator-level access to trusted users only, as the vulnerability requires such access for exploitation.
4. Security Monitoring: Implement security monitoring and alerting to detect potential XSS attacks or unauthorized changes to the website.

By taking these steps, users can significantly reduce the risk associated with CVE-2024-0618 and protect their WordPress installations from potential exploitation.