InjectionWeakness · CWE-74

CVE-2024-38700

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') vulnerability in realmag777 WPCS allows Code Injection.This issue affects WPCS: from n/a through 1.2.0.3.

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

A code injection vulnerability exists in the realmag777 WPCS (WordPress plugin) where improper neutralization of special elements in output allows attackers to inject malicious code. This is a classic injection flaw where user-supplied or untrusted data is rendered without proper sanitization, enabling potential remote code execution or other malicious actions.

MitigationUpdate WPCS to the latest version which contains proper input validation and output encoding. If no update is available, review and sanitize all output points where user data or external data is rendered, implementing context-aware escaping.

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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 WPCS plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and confirm 'WPCS' or 'realmag777 WPCS' appears in the installed plugins list
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active
  2. Determine installed WPCS version
    In Plugins list, click on the WPCS plugin to view details, or check the plugin header in wp-content/plugins/wpcs/*.php for the Version comment
    Affected if The version number cannot be determined or is unknown
  3. Identify output points in WPCS code
    Search plugin files for functions that render user-supplied or external data: look for PHP echo/print statements, particularly those using variables that could contain user input without esc_html(), esc_attr(), or similar escaping functions
    Affected if Code contains output statements that render variables without proper escaping functions
  4. Check for unescaped user data in templates or output functions
    Review WPCS PHP files for direct output of $_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST, or database query results without sanitization functions such as esc_html, esc_attr, sanitize_text_field, or prepare() for SQL
    Affected if Unescaped user data or external variables are found in output code
  5. Verify if vulnerable output is accessible
    If identified, test whether the unescaped output points can be triggered by accessing relevant WPCS pages, shortcodes, or admin panels where user input is processed
    Affected if The unescaped output points are accessible to users and can be triggered with malicious input

A user is affected if the WPCS plugin is installed and contains code that renders unescaped user input or external data in output without proper sanitization functions

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update WPCS to the latest version which contains proper input validation and output encoding. If no update is available, review and sanitize all output points where user data or external data is rendered, implementing context-aware escaping.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-38700 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-38700 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
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