CVE-2024-13619 Scanner

LifterLMS is a popular WordPress plugin used to create, manage, and sell online courses on WordPress websites. It's widely adopted by educators, entrepreneurs, and organizations seeking to offer online education and e-learning experiences. The plugin provides tools to build a comprehensive learning management system (LMS), complete with course management, user enrollment, and multimedia content delivery. LifterLMS is ideally suited for administrators managing educational content who need a reliable and scalable solution. As online education continues to grow, plugins like LifterLMS become integral in delivering quality educational services worldwide. In its design, the plugin emphasizes user-friendly interfaces, robust functionality, and expansive customizability for tailored educational tools.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. In the case of the LifterLMS plugin before version 8.0.1, a reflected XSS vulnerability was present due to unsanitized and unescaped parameter output. This type of vulnerability can be exploited when an attacker sends a crafted request that causes unwanted scripts to execute in the browser of an authenticated user, typically an admin. The impact of such an exploit includes unauthorized actions taken on behalf of the user, or compromise of the user account by exfiltrating cookies or credentials. The significance of this vulnerability sheds light on the necessity for developers to adopt adequate security controls when handling user inputs.

The Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in the LifterLMS plugin arises from the improper sanitization and escaping of output parameters. Attackers could craft a request to exploit this vulnerability and manipulate data rendered back to browsers with admin level access. Specifically, this issue relates to how certain parameters of requests in WordPress admin areas were handled. A crafted request could trigger a JavaScript alert demonstration, and potentially more harmful scripts, depending on the attacker's goals. Understanding the technical avenues exploited highlights the need for accurately parsing and validating all user-supplied data within a web application to prevent such malicious acts.

When exploited, the XSS vulnerability in LifterLMS can have severe consequences for the security of the website. Administrators accessing the infected pages may inadvertently execute malicious scripts, leading to full account takeover or unauthorized actions being carried out in their context. This compromise might mean leaking of sensitive information, unauthorized content changes, or even manipulation of the course data within the LMS. Ensuring website administrators and developers regularly update their plugins and maintain best security practices can mitigate this kind of risk.

REFERENCES

• https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/wordpress-plugins/lifterlms/lifterlms-800-reflected-cross-site-scripting
• https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/97a7e1a6-0fb3-49e9-86fc-ebb1d426fcca/
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-13619