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Content BlocksWordPress extension · Vanderwijk

CVE-2024-44051

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.3.6 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 ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Johan van der Wijk Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) custom-post-widget allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget): from n/a through <= 3.3.5.

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

Stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level or higher privileges to inject malicious JavaScript code through custom post widget content blocks. The injected script executes when users view pages containing the affected widget, due to improper output encoding during web page generation.

MitigationUpdate Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) plugin to the latest version, which should include proper output escaping/encoding. If no update is available, implement output escaping at all points where widget content is rendered to web pages using functions like esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() appropriate to the context.

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
Content BlocksWordPress extension
Affected:< 3.3.6

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 Content Blocks plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget)' by Vanderwijk. Alternatively, check the plugin directory /wp-content/plugins/ for the custom-post-widget folder.
    Affected if Plugin is installed and active
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin_plugins list, click on the plugin to view details, or read the main plugin file header (usually custom-post-widget.php) to find the Version: line.
    Affected if Version is less than 3.3.6 (for example, 3.3.5, 3.3.4, etc.)
  3. Identify active content blocks
    In WordPress admin, go to Content Blocks or check Posts/CP Posts for any published content blocks. Look for custom post type entries used by the plugin.
    Affected if Any content blocks exist and are published on the site
  4. Check user role permissions for content blocks
    Review which WordPress user roles can create or edit content blocks (go to Users > Users and check if any contributor-level accounts exist).
    Affected if Any authenticated user with contributor role or higher has access to create or edit content blocks
  5. Inspect rendered widget output
    View a page containing a content block widget in a browser, then view page source to examine if content block content is properly escaped. Look for unencoded HTML/JS in the output.
    Affected if Content block output contains raw, unescaped HTML or JavaScript from the widget content

You are affected if the Content Blocks plugin is installed with a version lower than 3.3.6 and content blocks are being used on your site, allowing any contributor-level user to inject malicious scripts that execute when visitors view affected pages.

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 3.3.6 or later
Fixed in 3.3.6
Interim mitigation

Update Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) plugin to the latest version, which should include proper output escaping/encoding. If no update is available, implement output escaping at all points where widget content is rendered to web pages using functions like esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() appropriate to the context.

Recommended fix High confidence

Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) version 3.3.6

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the 'Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget)' plugin
  4. Check if the current version is below 3.3.6
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to update the plugin to version 3.3.6 or later
  6. Alternatively, navigate to Dashboard > Updates and update the plugin from there
  7. After updating, verify the new version number in the plugins list

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

Fix this in Content Blocks Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2024-44051 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