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GeodirectoryWordPress extension · Ayecode

CVE-2024-56259

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.3.85 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 Paolo GeoDirectory geodirectory allows Stored XSS.This issue affects GeoDirectory: from n/a through <= 2.3.84.

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

A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the GeoDirectory WordPress plugin through version 2.3.84. The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with low privileges to inject malicious JavaScript code into user-generated content (such as directory listings or location data), which is then stored on the server and executed when other users view the affected pages.

MitigationSanitize all user-supplied input on the server side using appropriate WordPress sanitization functions (such as sanitize_text_field, esc_attr, or wp_kses) before storing in the database, and apply output encoding (such as esc_html or esc_js) when displaying any user-generated content.

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
GeodirectoryWordPress extension
Affected:< 2.3.85

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 GeoDirectory plugin is installed
    Log in to WordPress admin panel and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, or check the /wp-content/plugins/geodirectory/ directory for the plugin files
    Affected if GeoDirectory plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Determine installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the GeoDirectory plugin version number, or read the main plugin file (e.g., geodirectory.php) and locate the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block
    Affected if The version number is lower than 2.3.85 (e.g., 2.3.84, 2.3.80, etc.)
  3. Identify user-generated content entry points
    Navigate to GeoDirectory settings and review which post types (listings, locations, events, etc.) are enabled for public submission. Check frontend submission forms at /?gd_form=1 or similar submission URLs configured in the plugin
    Affected if Any GeoDirectory content type (listings, locations, tags, categories) allows public or subscriber-level submissions
  4. Inspect database for unescaped user content
    Access the WordPress database via phpMyAdmin or command line. Query the wp_posts table for recent posts with post_type like 'gd_%' and examine the post_content, post_title, and meta fields for raw HTML or script tags that were not sanitized on storage
    Affected if User-submitted content contains raw HTML, unescaped quotes, or JavaScript event handlers in fields that should have been sanitized

A user is affected if GeoDirectory version is below 2.3.85 AND the site allows any user submissions to listings, locations, or other directory content types.

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 2.3.85 or later
Fixed in 2.3.85
Interim mitigation

Sanitize all user-supplied input on the server side using appropriate WordPress sanitization functions (such as sanitize_text_field, esc_attr, or wp_kses) before storing in the database, and apply output encoding (such as esc_html or esc_js) when displaying any user-generated content.

Recommended fix High confidence

GeoDirectory 2.3.85

  1. Backup your WordPress database and files before making any changes
  2. Update GeoDirectory plugin to version 2.3.85 or later via the WordPress admin dashboard (Plugins > Installed Plugins > GeoDirectory > Update Now), or via WP-CLI: wp plugin update geodirectory
  3. After updating, verify the plugin version shows 2.3.85 or higher in Plugins > Installed Plugins
  4. Test that the fix resolves the XSS vulnerability by confirming user-submitted content is properly sanitized in directory listings

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

Fix this in Geodirectory Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,408.

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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-2024-56259 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