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MosaicWordPress extension · Wildweblab

CVE-2024-5965

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.7.1 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 Mosaic theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘link’ parameter within the theme's Button shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1.7.1 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. 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 Mosaic WordPress theme has a stored XSS vulnerability in the Button shortcode's 'link' parameter. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access can inject malicious JavaScript due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping, causing scripts to execute when other users access compromised pages.

MitigationUpdate the Mosaic theme to version 1.7.2 or later which includes proper input sanitization and output escaping for the Button shortcode parameters. As an interim measure, restrict shortcode usage permissions until the patch is 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
MosaicWordPress extension
Affected:<= 1.7.1

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 Mosaic theme version
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Appearance > Themes. Locate the Mosaic theme and view its details to find the installed version number. Alternatively, check the style.css file in the theme directory for the 'Version' header.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.7.1 or lower.
  2. Identify Button shortcode usage
    Search your WordPress database for instances of the Button shortcode. This can be done by querying the wp_posts table for content containing '[button' or '[mosaic_button'. Alternatively, use a plugin to export all post content and search for shortcode patterns.
    Affected if The Button shortcode is present in any published, scheduled, or draft post or page content.
  3. Inspect Button shortcode link parameter
    Examine each instance of the Button shortcode found in your content. Look for the 'link' parameter syntax, typically written as link='URL' or link="URL" within the shortcode. Manually review the URL value for any HTML or JavaScript patterns such as javascript:, onload=, onerror=, or <script> tags.
    Affected if The 'link' parameter contains unsanitized data including quotes, event handlers, or suspicious URL schemes.
  4. Verify low-privilege user accounts
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Users. Review the user list to identify accounts with Contributor or Author roles. These roles can create and edit content containing shortcodes but typically cannot publish directly.
    Affected if There are Contributor or Author-level users present in the WordPress installation.
  5. Check for unpublished shortcode content
    Review draft, pending review, and scheduled posts/pages for Button shortcode usage. These represent potential attack vectors if a contributor has placed malicious code in drafts awaiting editorial review.
    Affected if There are drafts or pending content containing Button shortcodes with the 'link' parameter.

You are affected if the Mosaic theme version is 1.7.1 or lower AND the Button shortcode with a 'link' parameter exists in any content, especially when Contributor-level users can edit posts.

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 1.7.1
Interim mitigation

Update the Mosaic theme to version 1.7.2 or later which includes proper input sanitization and output escaping for the Button shortcode parameters. As an interim measure, restrict shortcode usage permissions until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Mosaic theme version 1.7.2 or later

  1. Identify the current version of the Mosaic theme in use by navigating to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Check the theme developer's official repository or changelog at themes.trac.wordpress.org for version 1.7.2 or later which should contain the security fix
  3. If a newer version is available, download and install the updated Mosaic theme via WordPress admin (Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme)
  4. After upgrading, verify the Button shortcode now properly sanitizes the 'link' parameter and escapes output
  5. Test by attempting to insert a Button shortcode with a malicious link parameter to confirm the vulnerability is remediated
  6. Ensure any existing pages with potentially malicious Button shortcodes are reviewed and cleaned if necessary

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

Fix this in Mosaic Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2024-5965 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