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Kognetiks ChatbotWordPress extension · Kognetics

CVE-2024-35738

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.9.9 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 · unedited
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Kognetiks Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress: from n/a through 1.9.8.

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 confidence

Stored XSS vulnerability in Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress plugin versions up to 1.9.8 allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through unsanitized input fields. The malicious payload is stored in the database and executes when other users view pages displaying the affected content.

MitigationUpdate to the latest version of Kognetiks Chatbot when available; until then, implement proper input sanitization (sanitize_text_field, wp_kses) and output escaping (esc_html, esc_attr) on all user-supplied data before storage and before displaying in web pages.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Kognetiks ChatbotWordPress extension
Affected:< 1.9.9

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
None

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

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify the installed version of Kognetiks Chatbot
    Access WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate Kognetiks Chatbot. Note the version number displayed. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file (typically in wp-content/plugins/kognetiks-chatbot/) for the Version header in the plugin comments.
    Affected if The installed version is below 1.9.9 (e.g., 1.9.8, 1.9.7, etc.)
  2. Confirm the plugin is active and in use
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, verify that Kognetiks Chatbot shows as Active. Check if the chatbot is configured to display on the site by visiting the plugin settings page.
    Affected if The plugin is active and configured to display the chatbot on pages
  3. Inspect chatbot conversation data stored in the database
    Query the WordPress database (typically using phpMyAdmin or wp db query) for any stored chatbot conversations or user inputs. Look for patterns like <script> tags, javascript: URIs, onload/onerror event handlers, or encoded script content in fields that would contain user chat messages.
    Affected if Database entries contain unsanitized script tags or JavaScript event handlers in chat content
  4. Review chatbot settings for unsanitized input storage
    Access the plugin settings pages in WordPress admin (Kognetiks Chatbot settings). Manually input test strings containing HTML characters (< > " ') into text fields, save the settings, then view the database or re-display the settings page to see if the input is stored and rendered without sanitization.
    Affected if User-supplied text in settings is stored and displayed back without proper sanitization (visible characters like < or > appear unescaped)

A user is affected if the installed Kognetiks Chatbot version is below 1.9.9 AND the plugin is active, as the vulnerability allows stored XSS injection through unsanitized input fields.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.9.9 or later
Fixed in 1.9.9
Interim mitigation

Update to the latest version of Kognetiks Chatbot when available; until then, implement proper input sanitization (sanitize_text_field, wp_kses) and output escaping (esc_html, esc_attr) on all user-supplied data before storage and before displaying in web pages.

Recommended fix High confidence

Kognetiks Chatbot version 1.9.9

  1. Backup your WordPress site before making any changes
  2. Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins
  3. Locate Kognetiks Chatbot plugin
  4. Click 'Update now' to upgrade to version 1.9.9
  5. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version
  6. Test the chatbot functionality to ensure it works correctly after the update

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Kognetiks Chatbot Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-35738 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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