📄 Description (English)
wpForo Forum 2.4.14 contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows script injection via forum URL data output into an inline script block using json_encode without the JSON_HEX_TAG flag. Attackers set a forum slug containing a closing script tag or unescaped single quote to break out of the JavaScript string context and execute arbitrary script in all visitors' browsers.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
wpForo Forum 2.4.14 contains a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in forum URL data that is output into inline JavaScript without proper escaping. Attackers can inject malicious scripts via forum slug parameters, affecting all forum visitors. This vulnerability persists in stored form, making it a significant threat to WordPress-based community platforms used across Saudi organizations.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 25, 2026 23:48
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily affects Saudi organizations using wpForo for community engagement, including: Government agencies and municipalities using WordPress-based portals for citizen engagement; Banking and financial institutions with customer community forums; Healthcare organizations with patient/provider forums; Educational institutions with student/faculty forums; Telecommunications companies (STC, Mobily, Zain) with customer support communities; Energy sector organizations with stakeholder engagement platforms. The stored XSS nature means compromised forums become persistent attack vectors affecting all users, potentially leading to credential theft, malware distribution, and reputational damage.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government and Public Administration
Banking and Financial Services
Healthcare
Education
Telecommunications
Energy and Utilities
Retail and E-commerce
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
6.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Audit all wpForo installations in your environment and identify version 2.4.14 deployments
2. Review forum slug configurations for suspicious characters or script tags
3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block requests containing script tags in forum slug parameters
4. Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) headers with script-src restrictions to mitigate XSS impact
Patching Guidance:
1. Contact gvectors for security updates or upgrade to a patched version when available
2. As interim measure, disable forum slug customization if business logic permits
3. Implement input validation to reject forum slugs containing: </script>, <script, quotes, or special characters
Compensating Controls:
1. Deploy output encoding: Ensure json_encode uses JSON_HEX_TAG flag (json_encode($data, JSON_HEX_TAG | JSON_HEX_AMP | JSON_HEX_APOS | JSON_HEX_QUOT))
2. Implement HTML entity encoding for all forum-related data in JavaScript contexts
3. Use template engines with auto-escaping enabled
4. Apply strict input validation on forum slug creation (alphanumeric and hyphens only)
Detection Rules:
1. Monitor access logs for forum slug parameters containing: %3Cscript, %27, %22, </script>
2. Alert on forum slug modifications containing special characters
3. Monitor browser console errors indicating script injection attempts
4. Track user reports of unexpected JavaScript execution on forum pages
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. قم بمراجعة جميع تثبيتات wpForo في بيئتك وحدد نشرات الإصدار 2.4.14
2. راجع تكوينات slug المنتدى بحثاً عن أحرف مريبة أو علامات نصوص برمجية
3. قم بتنفيذ قواعد جدار الحماية لتطبيقات الويب (WAF) لحظر الطلبات التي تحتوي على علامات نصوص برمجية في معاملات slug المنتدى
4. قم بتفعيل رؤوس سياسة أمان المحتوى (CSP) مع قيود script-src للتخفيف من تأثير XSS
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. اتصل بـ gvectors للحصول على تحديثات أمان أو قم بالترقية إلى إصدار مصحح عند توفره
2. كإجراء مؤقت، قم بتعطيل تخصيص slug المنتدى إذا سمحت منطق العمل
3. قم بتنفيذ التحقق من صحة الإدخال لرفض slugs المنتدى التي تحتوي على: </script>، <script، علامات اقتباس، أو أحرف خاصة
الضوابط التعويضية:
1. نشر ترميز الإخراج: تأكد من أن json_encode يستخدم علم JSON_HEX_TAG (json_encode($data, JSON_HEX_TAG | JSON_HEX_AMP | JSON_HEX_APOS | JSON_HEX_QUOT))
2. تنفيذ ترميز كيان HTML لجميع بيانات المنتدى في سياقات JavaScript
3. استخدام محركات القوالب مع تفعيل الهروب التلقائي
4. تطبيق التحقق الصارم من صحة الإدخال على إنشاء slug المنتدى (أحرف وأرقام وواصلات فقط)
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة سجلات الوصول لمعاملات slug المنتدى التي تحتوي على: %3Cscript، %27، %22، </script>
2. تنبيه عند تعديلات slug المنتدى التي تحتوي على أحرف خاصة
3. مراقبة أخطاء وحدة تحكم المتصفح التي تشير إلى محاولات حقن نصوص برمجية
4. تتبع تقارير المستخدمين عن تنفيذ JavaScript غير متوقع على صفحات المنتدى
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy
A.14.2.5 - Secure development environment
A.14.3.1 - Testing of security functionality
A.14.3.2 - System change control
A.14.3.3 - Testing of security patches
🔵 SAMA CSF
ID.SC-7 - Software, firmware, and information integrity checks
PR.DS-6 - Integrity checking mechanisms
DE.CM-3 - Personnel activity is monitored
RS.MI-2 - Incidents are mitigated
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.8.2.3 - Segregation of duties
A.12.2.1 - Input validation
A.12.4.1 - Event logging
A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy
A.14.3.1 - Security testing
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
6.5.1 - Injection flaws
6.5.7 - Cross-site scripting (XSS)
11.3 - Penetration testing
🔗 References & Sources 3
🔗
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpforo/
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Product
🔗
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpforo/#developers
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Release Notes
🔗
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/wpforo-forum-stored-xss-via-unsafe-json-encoding-i...
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Third Party Advisory
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
gvectors:wpforo_forum