Stored XSS in WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More Plugin

Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows authenticated administrators to inject arbitrary web scripts via stored cross-site scripting in certain WordPress plugin settings. This could lead to unauthorized script execution when users access affected pages.

Such unauthorized script execution can potentially lead to data exposure or manipulation, which may impact compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR or HIPAA that require safeguarding personal and sensitive information.

However, the vulnerability only affects multi-site installations and those with unfiltered_html disabled, limiting its scope.

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Executive Summary

The WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More plugin is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in all versions up to and including 7.0.1. This vulnerability arises because the plugin does not properly sanitize input or escape output in the admin settings.

Authenticated users with administrator-level permissions or higher can exploit this flaw to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages. These scripts will execute whenever any user accesses the injected page.

This vulnerability specifically affects multi-site WordPress installations and installations where the unfiltered_html capability has been disabled.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow an attacker with administrator privileges to inject malicious scripts into the website pages. These scripts can execute in the context of users visiting those pages, potentially leading to theft of user credentials, session hijacking, or other malicious actions.

Because the attack requires administrator-level access, the risk is limited to environments where such access is compromised or misused.

The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.4, indicating a medium severity with low impact on confidentiality and integrity, and no impact on availability.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should update the WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More plugin to a version later than 7.0.1 where the issue is fixed.

Additionally, ensure that only trusted administrators have access to the plugin settings, as exploitation requires administrator-level permissions.

If you are running a multi-site installation or have disabled unfiltered_html, consider re-enabling unfiltered_html if possible, or apply strict input sanitization and output escaping measures.

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