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Smart Slider - Privilege Escalation (CVE-2021-24382)

CVE-2021-24382

Vulnerability CVE-2021-24382 PLUGIN smart-slider MEDIUM

The Smart Slider 3 Free and pro WordPress plugins before 3.5.0.9 did not sanitise the Project Name before outputting it back in the page, leading to a Stored Cross-Site Scripting issue. By default, only administrator users could access the affected functionality, limiting the exploitability of the vulnerability. However, some WordPress admins may allow lesser privileged users to access the plugin's functionality, in which case, privilege escalation could be performed.

CVE-2021-24382

MEDIUM CVSS 5.4 Published 2021-06-14 Updated 2026-06-17
AI Risk Moderate (47/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P4 Planned
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Affected Components 2
Reference Links 2
AI Risk Engine Moderate (47/100)
Exploitability Low
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2021-06-14 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-06-17 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-11 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 181 days ago

AI enriched 181 days ago (2026-04-11 15:53 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Smart Slider 3 Free and pro WordPress plugins before 3.5.0.9 did not sanitise the Project Name before outputting it back in the page, leading to a Stored Cross-Site Scripting issue. By default, only administrator users could access the affected functionality, limiting the exploitability of the vulnerability. However, some WordPress admins may allow lesser privileged users to access the plugin's functionality, in which case, privilege escalation could be performed.

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 5.4). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as Low based on severity and technical exposure profile.

Primary risk drivers: severity and technical exposure profile

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

AI risk score 47/100 (Moderate, Low) with priority P4 Planned. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Smart Slider PLUGIN · smart-slider Affected: >= 3.0, < 3.5.0.9 Fixed in: 3.5.0.9
Smart Slider 3 Free and pro PLUGIN · smart-slider-3-free-and-pro Affected: < 3.5.0.9 Fixed in: 3.5.0.9

Related Vulnerabilities

Browse All Threats

Newest linked vulnerabilities to keep visitors exploring adjacent CVE coverage.

No related vulnerability records were found yet for this context.

References

What to do about this

Patch promptly The consequence is significant even where an attacker needs a foothold first.

Fix it

Update Smart Slider to 3.5.0.9 or later.

That is the complete fix. Everything below is what protects you in the meantime.

Cannot update today? Unauthorised administrator detection in Hack Halt ProSecure blocks this class of attack before WordPress processes the request.

Alert when a new administrator appears or a role is escalated. Creating a hidden admin is the most common persistence step after a WordPress compromise.

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Not sure if you are affected?

Scan your site to see whether it runs Smart Slider, and at which version.

Free, no installation, no account. It reads what your site already publishes, then tells you which plugins carry known vulnerabilities and what to do about each one.

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Am I affected by this vulnerability?

You are affected if your site runs Smart Slider. Versions below 3.5.0.9 are vulnerable; that release and later are not.

How do I fix it?

Update Smart Slider to version 3.5.0.9 or later. That is the complete fix. Until you can update, Unauthorised administrator detection in Hack Halt ProSecure contains this class of attack at the request layer.

What can an attacker actually do?

This is a Privilege Escalation flaw. An attacker who exploits it can raise a low-privilege account, or none at all, to administrator.

WordPress security that blocks attacks before they land.

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