Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-8505

XSS in Connekthq Ajax Load More ≤ 7.1.3

XSS
Published
02 October 2024
Modified
07 October 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.4
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0036 29th percentile
Risk Priority 47 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-8505 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Alternate XSS Syntax (CWE-87) vulnerability in Connekthq Ajax Load More. Its CVSS base score is 6.4 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Browser Session Hijacking (T1185); ranked at the 29th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘button_label’ parameter in all versions up to, and including, 7.1.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it…

more

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.

CWE(s)
CWE-87CWE-79

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1185 Browser Session Hijacking Collection
Adversaries may take advantage of security vulnerabilities and inherent functionality in browser software to change content, modify user-behaviors, and intercept information as part of various browser session hijacking techniques.
attack.mitre.org →
T1539 Steal Web Session Cookie Credential Access
An adversary may steal web application or service session cookies and use them to gain access to web applications or Internet services as an authenticated user without needing credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1659 Content Injection Initial Access
Adversaries may gain access and continuously communicate with victims by injecting malicious content into systems through online network traffic.
attack.mitre.org →
T1189 Drive-by Compromise Initial Access
Adversaries may gain access to a system through a user visiting a website over the normal course of browsing.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-20188Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2025-48495Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2026-54002Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2026-34598Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2024-25640Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2025-48366Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2023-50712Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2025-48992Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2024-2618Shared CWE-79, CWE-87
CVE-2025-48494Shared CWE-79, CWE-87

Affected Assets

connekthq
ajax load more
≤ 7.1.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.1.2
  • V1.3.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

SA-11 requires developer testing and analysis that can discover improper neutralization of alternate script syntax after it has been coded.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

SI-10 directly requires validation/sanitization of untrusted inputs, which structurally stops alternate XSS syntax from reaching the interpreter.

SI-15 Information Output Filtering good match

Output filtering can catch or sanitize unneutralized script content before it is served to users.

SA-8 Security and Privacy Engineering Principles partial match

SA-8 mandates secure engineering principles such as input neutralization and output encoding that prevent introduction of this class of flaw.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require proper input neutralization and output encoding to prevent alternate XSS syntax.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching and EOL replacement can remediate known XSS instances in libraries or frameworks (partial) but do nothing to enforce input neutralization in application code (none).

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding standards require proper neutralization of alternate script syntax, directly eliminating CWE-87.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing catches residual XSS but does not itself implement the neutralization controls.

A.5.6 Contact with special interest groups partial match
prevents

Knowledge exchange on emerging attack techniques and patches reduces the likelihood that cross-site scripting flaws remain unaddressed in deployed applications.

A.5.7 Threat intelligence partial match
prevents

Operational indicators of compromise for web-application attacks can be incorporated into WAF or input-filtering rules, lowering the likelihood that unsanitized data reaches the browser.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and output encoding that directly prevent alternate XSS syntax.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for neutralization of untrusted input to block XSS variants.

References