CVE-2024-8619 exposes a serious Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Ajax Search Lite plugin, a widely used search enhancement plugin with over 100,000 installations. This vulnerability allows attackers, specifically users with editor-level permissions, to inject malicious JavaScript (JS) into the plugin’s settings. Once exploited, the attacker can create backdoors and take over admin accounts, leading to full control of the WordPress site. The issue lies in improper input sanitization within the plugin’s “image width” field, which can be manipulated to execute malicious scripts.
CVE-2024-8619 – Ajax Search Lite – Stored XSS to backdoor creation – POC
