CVE-2024-12585 Scanner

The Property Hive plugin for WordPress is a widely used solution by real estate agents and agencies for managing property listings on their WordPress sites. It offers an array of functionalities including property searches, CRM integrations, and data imports to enhance the online presence of real estate businesses. The plugin is particularly favored for its customization capabilities and ease of integration with other WordPress functionalities. Property Hive enables real estate professionals to effectively manage and showcase their listings, streamline operations, and improve client interactions. With these features, it serves as a critical tool for digital marketing in the real estate sector. Its popularity in the WordPress community is attributed to its active support and frequent updates, which ensure users can maximize their site's functionality.

The vulnerability detected in the Property Hive plugin pertains to a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw, which arises when the application fails to properly sanitize user inputs. This specific vulnerability is reflected XSS, occurring via the 'ph_message' parameter due to inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms. Attackers can potentially exploit this vulnerability by tricking users into performing actions, such as clicking on crafted links. As a result, arbitrary scripts are executed in the victim's browser, posing significant risks to data integrity and confidentiality. Security weaknesses such as this allow for unauthorized script execution within the context of the end-user's session, which can lead to session hijacking or data theft. The exploitation of this vulnerability can have severe impacts, especially in environments where sensitive information is processed.

In technical terms, the vulnerability resides in the way the 'ph_message' parameter is processed within the 'wp-admin/admin.php' interface of Property Hive. The endpoint fails to perform adequate input validation and output encoding, allowing an attacker to inject JavaScript code within the 'ph_message' parameter. The payload supplied in the URL is rendered unescaped in the response, which is then processed by the browser, leading to script execution on behalf of the user. This process occurs without requiring explicit user interaction beyond visiting a maliciously crafted URL, highlighting the ease with which it can be abused. The affected script can access cookies, session tokens, and other sensitive data that are associated with the context in which the script is executed. Such technical shortcomings stress the importance of implementing rigorous input validation and output encoding practices to protect web applications.

When this XSS vulnerability is exploited, attackers can execute malicious scripts in the context of high-privilege users, leading to potential account compromise. This activity may result in unauthorized actions performed impersonating the compromised user, such as altering configurations or permissions, which can disrupt business operations. Additionally, sensitive data theft is a possible consequence, as the injected scripts can capture cookies and session identifiers. Such data breaches not only undermine user trust but can also lead to regulatory compliance issues if personal information is exposed. The overall effect includes increased susceptibility to further attacks, such as phishing, and financial losses due to compromised accounts. Given these impacts, addressing and mitigating the vulnerability is critical to maintaining the security posture of affected systems.

REFERENCES

• https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/wordpress-plugins/propertyhive/property-hive-210-reflected-cross-site-scripting
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-12585