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Wpbakery Page Builder ClipboardWordPress extension · Wpbakery Page Builder Clipboard Project

CVE-2024-5265

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.6 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
The WPBakery Visual Composer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the link attribute within the vc_single_image shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 7.6 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 WPBakery Visual Composer plugin for WordPress contains a stored XSS vulnerability in the vc_single_image shortcode's link attribute. Authenticated users with contributor-level access or higher can inject arbitrary JavaScript through unsanitized link attributes, which executes when other users view the affected pages.

MitigationUpdate WPBakery Visual Composer to version 7.7 or later which includes proper input sanitization and output escaping for the link attribute. Alternatively, restrict contributor-level user permissions until the patch can be applied.

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
Wpbakery Page Builder ClipboardWordPress extension
Affected:<= 7.6

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 WPBakery Visual Composer is installed
    Log in to WordPress admin, go to Plugins, and confirm WPBakery Visual Composer (or WPBakery Page Builder) appears in the installed plugins list
    Affected if Plugin is not installed or not active - vulnerability does not apply
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin Plugins page, find WPBakery Visual Composer and note the version number displayed under the plugin name
    Affected if Version number is 7.6 or lower (the plugin does not display version numbers in the UI, check the plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/classes/core/access/class-vc-current-user-access.php or version.php for the exact version)
  3. Search post content for vc_single_image shortcodes with link attributes
    Query the WordPress database: SELECT ID, post_title FROM wp_posts WHERE post_content LIKE '%vc_single_image%link=%' AND post_status IN ('publish', 'draft', 'pending')
    Affected if Any posts/pages contain vc_single_image shortcode with a link attribute - these are potentially vulnerable entry points
  4. Inspect link attribute values for unsanitized content
    Examine the link= parameter values from the shortcodes found above. Look for patterns like javascript:, <script tags, onmouseover, onload, or other JavaScript event handlers
    Affected if The link attribute contains raw URL parameters, JavaScript protocol handlers, or HTML/script tags that should have been sanitized
  5. Verify contributor-level or higher user accounts exist
    In WordPress admin under Users, review user roles. Contributor, Author, Editor, and Administrator roles all have sufficient privileges to exploit this vulnerability
    Affected if Any user account with Contributor role or higher exists on the site - combined with the shortcode presence, these users could have injected malicious links

You are affected if WPBakery Visual Composer version is 7.6 or lower AND vc_single_image shortcodes with link attributes exist in your published content, especially if you have multiple user roles on the site.

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 a release after 7.6
Interim mitigation

Update WPBakery Visual Composer to version 7.7 or later which includes proper input sanitization and output escaping for the link attribute. Alternatively, restrict contributor-level user permissions until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

WPBakery Page Builder version 7.7 or later

  1. 1. Back up your WordPress site database and files before performing any updates.
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard.
  3. 3. Locate 'WPBakery Page Builder' (also known as 'Visual Composer') in the plugin list.
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version.
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from wpbakery.com or WordPress.org repository and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
  6. 6. After updating, clear any caching plugins and CDN caches if applicable.
  7. 7. Verify the vc_single_image shortcode functionality works correctly with the updated version.
Caveat Review plugin changelog for any shortcode behavior changes before updating production sites

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

Fix this in Wpbakery Page Builder Clipboard Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2024-5265 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