CVE-2021-23174

Download Monitor <= 4.4.6 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting

2021-10-29 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 4.4.7
Affected Plugin: Download Monitor
Affected Version: <= 4.4.6
CVSS: 5.5Medium
Weakness type: CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
CVE: CVE-2021-23174

View all Download Monitor vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-23174 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the Download Monitor WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.4.6. It carries a CVSS score of 5.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Admin level or above. The issue is fixed in version 4.4.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2021, reported by R3N0.

Vulnerability Overview

Authenticated (admin+) Persistent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability discovered in Download Monitor WordPress plugin (versions <= 4.4.6) Vulnerable parameters: &post_title, &downloadable_file_version[0].

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Reaching this weakness in Download Monitor <= 4.4.6 takes an account at Admin level or above. Cross-site scripting happens when input from a request is written into a page without being escaped for the context it lands in, so the browser parses attacker-supplied text as markup or script.

Injected script runs with the privileges of whoever views the affected page, which is how these flaws turn into administrator session theft, silent account creation or persistent backdoors in page content. For Download Monitor the fix is 4.4.7: builds <= 4.4.6 are affected, anything from 4.4.7 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.4.7, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Admin access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Download Monitor 4.4.7 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-23174 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/748d01ca-9dd5-4d03-88e7-e80932744fdc https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23174

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in Download Monitor

CVSS Vector

5.5

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredHigh
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/