CVE-2024-32538
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedCross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Joshua Eldridge Easy CountDowner allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Easy CountDowner: from n/a through 1.0.8.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceCross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Easy CountDowner WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to trick administrators into performing actions that result in Stored XSS. The lack of proper CSRF token validation enables attackers to inject malicious JavaScript through forged requests.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Easy CountDowner plugin is installedGo to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and look for 'Easy CountDowner' in the installed plugins list, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for the easy-countdowner folderAffected if The plugin is installed and active on the WordPress site
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Determine the installed plugin versionIn the plugins list, click on the plugin to view details, or check the main plugin file (usually easy-countdowner.php) for the 'Version' header in the plugin comment blockAffected if The version number is lower than the patched version (you must compare to the vendor's official advisory for the exact version range)
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Inspect plugin admin pages for stored XSSNavigate to the Easy CountDowner settings pages in the WordPress admin (typically under Settings or a dedicated Easy CountDowner menu) and view the page source or inspect form fields for suspicious script tags or encoded JavaScriptAffected if Malicious JavaScript or HTML script tags are present in any countdown timer configuration fields
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Check plugin code for CSRF protectionExamine the plugin's PHP files that handle form submissions (look for admin-post.php handlers or form processing code) and verify if wp_nonce_field() or check_admin_referer() are used on state-changing actionsAffected if Form submissions in the plugin lack nonce token verification or use nonces incorrectly (e.g., missing verification before processing)
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Review admin action logs if availableCheck WordPress audit logs, server access logs, or security plugins for suspicious POST requests to admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php with Easy CountDowner handlers originating from external referrers
You are affected if Easy CountDowner is installed, the version is below the patched release, and either malicious scripts are already stored in plugin settings or admin form actions lack CSRF token validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate Easy CountDowner to the latest patched version. Additionally, implement WordPress nonce tokens for all state-changing admin actions to prevent CSRF exploitation.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-32538 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-32538 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data