Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue affects the Modal Portfolio WordPress plugin when a highly privileged administrator can save unsafe script content. The script then runs for users who view the affected page. Risk is limited by the Administrator-level requirement and specific WordPress configurations, but it can still matter on shared, multisite, or delegated-admin websites.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted hygiene item, not an emergency, unless the site is multisite or has many delegated administrators. Prioritize inventory, admin access review, and vendor update checks before public-facing content assurance.
Technical view
CVE-2024-13851 is a stored cross-site scripting issue in Modal Portfolio versions up to and including 1.7.4.2. The cause is insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. Exploitation requires Administrator-level access or higher and only affects multisite installations or installations where unfiltered_html is disabled.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure is WordPress sites using Modal Portfolio <= 1.7.4.2 in multisite environments or with unfiltered_html disabled. Single-owner sites with trusted administrators have lower practical risk, while agencies, multi-tenant sites, and sites with many administrators have higher exposure.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation. The described attacker already needs Administrator-level WordPress access. Impact is stored script execution when users access an injected page, with low confidentiality and integrity impact and no availability impact in the CVSS data.
Researcher notes
The affected-version data in the bundle is partly inconsistent: the narrative says versions through 1.7.4.2, while the structured affected entry lists version 0 with defaultStatus unaffected. Use the narrative and Wordfence reference for triage, and verify final fixed-version details from vendor sources.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Modal Portfolio and installed versions.
- Prioritize multisite deployments and sites where unfiltered_html is disabled.
- Check the WordPress plugin page and vendor guidance for fixed versions or remediation.
- Restrict Administrator access to trusted users only.
- Review recent page or portfolio changes by administrator accounts.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Modal Portfolio is installed and active.
- Record the installed plugin version and compare it to 1.7.4.2.
- Confirm whether the site is WordPress multisite.
- Check whether unfiltered_html is disabled for relevant administrators.
- Review administrator accounts for unnecessary or stale access.
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-2024-13851 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.32.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
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.