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Simple MembershipWordPress extension · Simple Membership Plugin

CVE-2024-3730

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.4.4 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
The Simple Membership plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'swpm_paypal_subscription_cancel_link' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 4.4.3 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

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 · high confidence

The Simple Membership WordPress plugin fails to sanitize and escape user-supplied attributes in the 'swpm_paypal_subscription_cancel_link' shortcode, allowing authenticated contributors+ to inject persistent JavaScript that executes when pages containing the shortcode are viewed.

MitigationUpdate to version 4.4.4 or later which includes proper input sanitization and output escaping for shortcode attributes.

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
Simple MembershipWordPress extension
Affected:< 4.4.4

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. Check Simple Membership plugin version
    Go to WordPress Admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins, locate 'Simple Membership' (or 'Simple Membership Plugin'), and read the version number displayed. Alternatively, check the main plugin file header via file browser or FTP.
    Affected if Version is below 4.4.4 (e.g., 4.4.3, 4.4.2, earlier)
  2. Search for the vulnerable shortcode in content
    In WordPress admin, go to Posts or Pages and search for the string 'swpm_paypal_subscription_cancel_link' in the content editor. Or query the wp_posts database table for posts containing this shortcode.
    Affected if The shortcode [swpm_paypal_subscription_cancel_link] exists in any published draft or pending post
  3. Verify shortcode attributes are user-controlled
    Examine any found shortcode usage to see if user-supplied values are passed to attributes (e.g., custom CSS classes, IDs, or other parameters). Look for attribute values that could be crafted by a contributor-level user.
    Affected if Shortcode attributes accept arbitrary user input that is not validated or escaped
  4. Check for contributor+ user accounts
    Review WordPress user roles at Users > All Users. Identify any accounts with Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles who could create or edit content containing the shortcode.
    Affected if Any user with Contributor-level access or higher exists on the site

You are affected if the Simple Membership plugin version is below 4.4.4 AND the swpm_paypal_subscription_cancel_link shortcode is present (or could be added) on your site with contributor+ user access possible.

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 4.4.4 or later
Fixed in 4.4.4
Interim mitigation

Update to version 4.4.4 or later which includes proper input sanitization and output escaping for shortcode attributes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Simple Membership plugin version 4.4.4

  1. 1. Create a complete backup of your WordPress site (database and files) before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins section
  3. 3. Find the Simple Membership plugin in the installed plugins list
  4. 4. Click the 'Update now' link if an update is available, or manually update to version 4.4.4
  5. 5. Verify the plugin updated successfully by checking the installed version number
  6. 6. Test the 'swpm_paypal_subscription_cancel_link' shortcode functionality to ensure it still works correctly after the update
  7. 7. Clear any caching plugins or server-side caches to ensure the fixed code is served

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

Fix this in Simple Membership Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,190
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,904.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-3730 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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