WordPress Vulnerability Report: September 2021, Part 3

Vulnerable plugins and themes are the #1 reason WordPress websites get hacked. The weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report powered by WPScan covers recent WordPress plugin, theme, and core vulnerabilities, and what to do if you run one of the vulnerable plugins or themes on your website.

Each vulnerability will have a severity rating of Low, Medium, High, or Critical. Responsible disclosure and reporting of vulnerabilities is an integral part of keeping the WordPress community safe.

As one of the largest WordPress Vulnerability Reports to date, please share this post with your friends to help get the word out and make WordPress safer for everyone.

WordPress Core Vulnerabilities

Several WordPress core security issues were disclosed and fixed. WordPress 5.8.1 was released as a security and maintenance release. As a best practice, always be sure to run the latest version of WordPress core!

1. WordPress 5.4 to 5.8

Vulnerability: Data Exposure via REST API
Patched in Version: 5.8.1
Severity Score: Medium

Vulnerability: Authenticated XSS in Block Editor
Patched in Version: 5.8.1
Severity Score: Medium

Vulnerability: Lodash Library Update
Patched in Version: 5.8.1
Severity Score: Medium

WordPress Plugin Vulnerabilities

In this section, the latest WordPress plugin vulnerabilities have been disclosed. Each plugin listing includes the type of vulnerability, the version number if patched, and the severity rating.

1. Pinterest Automatic

Plugin: Pinterest Automatic
Vulnerability: Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update
Patched in Version: 4.14.4
Severity Score: Critical

2. WordPress Automatic

Plugin: WordPress Automatic
Vulnerability: Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update
Patched in Version: 3.53.3
Severity Score: Critical

3. ELEX WooCommerce Google Shopping 

Plugin: ELEX WooCommerce Google Shopping 
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Patched in Version: 1.2.4
Severity Score: High

4. User Registration

Plugin: User Registration
Vulnerability: Low Privilege Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 2.0.2
Severity Score: Medium

5. uListing

Plugin: uListing
Vulnerability: Arbitrary Blog Option Update via CSRF
Patched in Version: 2.0.9
Severity Score: High

6. Appointment Hour Booking 

Plugin: Appointment Hour Booking 
Vulnerability: Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 1.3.16
Severity Score: Low

Plugin: Appointment Hour Booking 
Vulnerability: Authenticated Stored XSS
Patched in Version: 1.3.17
Severity Score: Low

7. UsersWP

Plugin: UsersWP
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 1.2.2.29
Severity Score: Medium

8. PublishPress Editorial Calendar

Plugin: PublishPress Editorial Calendar
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 3.5.1
Severity Score: High

9. Better Find and Replace

Plugin: Better Find and Replace
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 1.2.9
Severity Score: High

10. CM Tooltip Glossary

Plugin: CM Tooltip Glossary
Vulnerability: Contributor+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 3.9.21
Severity Score: Medium

11. Bitcoin / AltCoin Payment Gateway for WooCommerce

Plugin: Bitcoin / AltCoin Payment Gateway for WooCommerce
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 1.6.1
Severity Score: High

12. Modern Events Calendar Lite

Plugin: Modern Events Calendar Lite
Vulnerability: Admin+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 5.22.2
Severity Score: Low

13. My Chatbot

Theme: My Chatbot 
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: High

14. Duplicate Page

Plugin: Duplicate Page
Vulnerability: Admin+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 4.4.3
Severity Score: Medium

15. Weather Effect

Plugin: Weather Effect
Vulnerability: Admin+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 1.3.6
Severity Score: Low

Plugin: Weather Effect
Vulnerability: CSRF to Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 1.3.4
Severity Score: High

16. Chained Quiz

Plugin: Chained Quiz
Vulnerability: Authenticated Stored Cross Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 1.2.7.2
Severity Score: Low

17. WP Academic People List

Plugin: WP Academic People List 
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

18. Konnichiwa! Membership

Plugin: Konnichiwa! Membership
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

19. 3D Cover Carousel

Plugin: 3D Cover Carousel
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

20. More From Google 

Plugin: More From Google 
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

21. simpleSAMLphp Authentication

Plugin: simpleSAMLphp Authentication
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

22. Custom Menu Plugin

Plugin: Custom Menu Plugin
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

23. Twitter Friends Widget

Plugin: Twitter Friends Widget
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

24. RentPress

Plugin: RentPress
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

25. SP Rental Manager

Plugin: SP Rental Manager
Vulnerability: Unauthenticated SQL Injection
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: High

26. User Activation Email

Plugin: User Activation Email
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

27. WP Google Maps

Plugin: WP Google Maps
Vulnerability: Multiple Admin+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 8.1.13
Severity Score: Low

28. GeoDirectory

Plugin: GeoDirectory
Vulnerability: Authenticated (admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Patched in Version: 2.1.1.3
Severity Score: Medium

29. TranslatePress

Plugin: TranslatePress
Vulnerability: Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 2.0.9
Severity Score: Low

30. Post Title Counter

Plugin: Post Title Counter
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

31. YouTube Video Inserter

Plugin: YouTube Video Inserter
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

32. Notices

Plugin: Notices
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

33. DJ EmailPublish

Plugin: DJ EmailPublish
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

34. Yet Another bol.com Plugin

Plugin: Yet Another bol.com Plugin
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

35. WP-T-Wap

Plugin: WP-T-Wap
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

36. On Page SEO + Whatsapp Chat Button

Plugin: On Page SEO + Whatsapp Chat Button
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

37. WP Scrippets

Plugin: WP Scrippets
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

38. WP Design Maps & Places

Plugin: WP Design Maps & Places
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

39. Wise Agent Capture Forms

Plugin: Wise Agent Capture Forms
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

40. Edit Comments XT 

Plugin: Edit Comments XT 
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

41. RSVPMaker Excel

Plugin: RSVPMaker Excel
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

42. Border Loading Bar

Plugin: Border Loading Bar
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

43. Simple Matted Thumbnails

Plugin: Simple Matted Thumbnails
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

44. WordPress Simple Shop

Plugin: WordPress Simple Shop
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

45. WooCommerce Payment Gateway Per Category

Plugin: WooCommerce Payment Gateway Per Category
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

46. Custom Website Data

Plugin: Custom Website Data
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

47. Advance Search

Plugin: Advance Search
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

48. Integration of Moneybird for WooCommerce

Plugin: Integration of Moneybird for WooCommerce
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

49. Spideranalyse

Plugin: Spideranalyse
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

50. OSD Subscribe

Plugin: OSD Subscribe
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

51. Feedify Web Push Notifications

Plugin: Feedify Web Push Notifications
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

52. Dropdown and scrollable Text

Plugin: Dropdown and scrollable Text
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

53. GNU-Mailman Integration

Plugin: GNU-Mailman Integration
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

54. Bug Library

Plugin: Bug Library
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

55. SMS OVH

Plugin: SMS OVH
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

56. MoolaMojo

Plugin: MoolaMojo
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

57. WordPress InviteBox Plugin

Plugin: WordPress InviteBox Plugin
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: Medium

58. wp-publications

Plugin: wp-publications
Vulnerability: Local File Inclusion
Patched in Version: No known fix
Severity Score: High

59. Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress

Plugin: Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress
Vulnerability: Author+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 2.3.19
Severity Score: Medium

60. Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools

Plugin: Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools
Vulnerability: Arbitrary Comment Deletion via CSRF
Patched in Version: 2.1.6
Severity Score: Medium

61. WP Simple Booking Calendar

Plugin: WP Simple Booking Calendar
Vulnerability: Authenticated SQL Injection
Patched in Version: 2.0.6
Severity Score: Medium

62. Block and Stop Bad Bots

Plugin: Block and Stop Bad Bots
Vulnerability: Authenticated SQL Injections
Patched in Version: 6.60
Severity Score: Medium

63. Paid Member Subscriptions

Plugin: Paid Member Subscriptions
Vulnerability: Authenticated SQL Injection
Patched in Version: 2.4.2
Severity Score: Medium

64. Easy Accordion

Plugin: Easy Accordion
Vulnerability: Admin+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Patched in Version: 2.0.22
Severity Score: Low

WordPress Theme Vulnerabilities

1. Enfold 

Theme: Enfold 
Vulnerability: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Patched in Version: 4.8.4
Severity Score: Medium

A Note on Responsible Disclosure

You might be wondering why a vulnerability would be disclosed if it gives hackers an exploit to attack. Well, it is very common for a security researcher to find and privately report the vulnerability to the software developer.

With responsible disclosure, the researcher’s initial report is made privately to the developers of the company that owns the software, but with an agreement that the full details will be published once a patch has been made available. For significant security vulnerabilities, there may be a slight delay in disclosing the vulnerability to give more people time to patch.

The security researcher may provide a deadline for the software developer to respond to the report or to provide a patch. If this deadline is not met, then the researcher may publicly disclose the vulnerability to put pressure on the developer to issue a patch.

Publicly disclosing a vulnerability and seemingly introducing a Zero-Day vulnerability–a type of vulnerability that has no patch and is being exploited in the wild– may seem counterproductive. But, it is the only leverage that a researcher has to pressure the developer to patch the vulnerability.

If a hacker were to discover the vulnerability, they could quietly use the Exploit and cause damage to the end-user(this is you), while the software developer remains content on leaving the vulnerability unpatched. Google’s Project Zero has similar guidelines when it comes to disclosing vulnerabilities. They publish the full details of the vulnerability after 90 days whether or not the vulnerability has been patched.

How to Protect Your WordPress Website From Vulnerable Plugins and Themes

As you can see from this report, lots of new WordPress plugin and theme vulnerabilities are disclosed each week. We know it can be difficult to stay on top of every reported vulnerability disclosure, so the iThemes Security Pro plugin makes it easy to make sure your site isn’t running a theme, plugin or WordPress core version with a known vulnerability.

1. Turn on the iThemes Security Pro Site Scanner

The iThemes Security Pro plugin’s Site Scanner scans for the #1 reason WordPress sites get hacked: outdated plugins and themes with known vulnerabilities. The Site Scanner checks your site for known vulnerabilities and automatically applies a patch if one is available.

To enable the Site Scan on new installs, navigate to the Site Check tab on the Features menu inside the plugin and click the toggle to enable the Site Scan.

To trigger a manual Site Scan, click the Scan Now button on the Site Scan Security Dashboard card.

If the Site Scan detects a vulnerability, click the vulnerability link to view the details page.

On the Site Scan vulnerability page, you will see if there is a fix available for the vulnerability. If there is a patch available, you can click the Update Plugin button to apply the fix on your website.

2. Turn on Version Management to Auto Update if Fixes Vulnerability

The Version Management feature in iThemes Security Pro integrates with the Site Scan to protect your site when outdated software is not updated quickly enough. Even the strongest security measures will fail if you are running vulnerable software on your website. These settings help protect your site with options to update to new versions automatically if a known vulnerability exists and a patch is available.

From the Settings page in iThemes Security Pro, navigate to the Features screen. Click the Site Check tab. From here, use the toggle to enable Version Management. Using the settings gear, you can configure even more settings, including how you want iThemes Security Pro to handle updates to WordPress, plugins, themes, and additional protection.

Make sure to select Auto Update if it Fixes a Vulnerability box so that iThemes Security Pro will automatically update a plugin or theme if it fixes a vulnerability that was found by the Site Scanner.

3. Get an Email Alert When iThemes Security Pro Finds a Known Vulnerability On Your Site

Once you’ve enabled Site Scan Scheduling, head to the Notification Center settings of the plugin. On this screen, scroll to the Site Scan Results section.

Click the box to enable the notification email and then click the Save Settings button.

Now, during any scheduled site scans, you’ll get an email if iThemes Security Pro discovers any known vulnerabilities. The email will look something like this.

Get iThemes Security Pro and Rest a Little Easier Tonight

iThemes Security Pro, our WordPress security plugin, offers 50+ ways to secure and protect your website from common WordPress security vulnerabilities. With WordPress, two-factor authentication, brute force protection, strong password enforcement, and more, you can add extra layers of security to your website.

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