Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE affects the WordPress Page View Count plugin. A logged-in content author could store malicious script through the pvc_stats shortcode postid parameter. Contributor posts require admin approval before frontend triggering, but editors could trigger it more directly. Business risk is website compromise through trusted publishing workflows, not unauthenticated mass scanning.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate web-content risk. Prioritize remediation on public WordPress sites with multiple authors, contractors, or delegated publishing workflows. Escalate if suspicious shortcode content or unexpected author accounts are found.
Technical view
Sources describe a stored XSS flaw in Page View Count before 2.4.9 caused by missing escaping of the pvc_stats shortcode postid parameter. Exploitation requires Contributor-level access or higher. The bundle has no CVSS score and no KEV listing. Its affected-version metadata conflicts with the title and description, so version validation should use vendor/WPScan guidance.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites using the Page View Count plugin, especially versions described as before 2.4.9, with Contributor, Editor, or similar authoring access enabled.
Exploitation context
No provided source reports active exploitation, and CISA KEV is false. The described attack path is authenticated stored XSS. A contributor-created post must be approved by an admin before triggering on the frontend; higher-privileged authors may not need that approval step.
Researcher notes
Key uncertainty is version metadata: narrative sources say before 2.4.9, while the bundle’s affected field lists 2.4.9. Do not assume broader product impact. Focus validation on installed plugin presence, shortcode use, role permissions, and vendor-confirmed fixed version.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Page View Count plugin and installed version.
- Upgrade according to vendor or WPScan guidance, targeting 2.4.9 or later if confirmed applicable.
- Restrict Contributor and Editor access to trusted users until remediation is complete.
- Review recent posts using the pvc_stats shortcode for suspicious parameter content.
- Remove or disable unnecessary shortcode usage if the plugin cannot be promptly updated.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Page View Count is installed on each WordPress property.
- Compare installed plugin versions against the vulnerable range stated by WPScan and CVE sources.
- Review contributor and editor accounts for unnecessary publishing permissions.
- Check recent approved content containing pvc_stats shortcode usage.
- Document remediation status and any remaining vendor-version uncertainty.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-24509 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/06df2729-21da-4c22-ae1e-dda1f15bdf8fCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.