Question 1

What is the AMP plugin?

Accepted Answer

What is the AMP plugin?

The AMP plugin, also known as AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages, is a very popular WordPress plugin with over 17 million downloads. It is designed to optimize WordPress sites for faster loading speeds and better visibility on mobile devices. By converting pages to Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages format, sites can improve mobile user experience.

Question 2

What does this vulnerability allow attackers to do?

Accepted Answer

What does this vulnerability allow attackers to do?

This vulnerability enables authenticated users, even those with low-level Contributor access, to conduct stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. By embedding malicious scripts hidden inside shortcodes, an attacker can hijack user sessions, install backdoors for persistent access, siphon customer data, and even fully deface or destroy sites.

Question 3

How serious is an XSS attack vulnerability for a small business site owner?

Accepted Answer

How serious is an XSS attack vulnerability for a small business site owner?

For small business owners relying on their WordPress sites, an unpatched XSS vulnerability leaves them deeply exposed. Successful attacks can lead to loss of customer data, financial theft, total site destruction, lasting hits to search engine visibility and more. since scripts hide for long periods gathering access and data.

Question 4

What versions of the plugin are affected?

Accepted Answer

What versions of the plugin are affected?

The vulnerability impacts all versions of the AMP plugin up to and including 1.0.88.1. Site owners running any release in that range should immediately check to confirm they have updated to the secured 1.0.89 version.

Question 5

I use the AMP plugin. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

I use the AMP plugin. What should I do?

If you have the AMP plugin installed, you should update to version 1.0.89 immediately to ensure your site is not vulnerable. As a precaution after updating, check for any unauthorized admin accounts, unexpected scripts, or other indicators your site may have been compromised previously.

Question 6

How can I tell if my site has already been hacked by this?

Accepted Answer

How can I tell if my site has already been hacked by this?

Carefully check your site for any injected scripts, unexpected iFrames, extra admin users you don’t recognize, changes in permissions or roles, unexpected behavior, new pages created as a backdoor, or other suspicious changes. Also check logs for any attacks originating from new IP addresses.

Question 7

Are other plugins at risk too?

Accepted Answer

Are other plugins at risk too?

While this specific vulnerability only impacts the AMP plugin, XSS flaws are very common in WordPress plugins. All site owners need to maintain rigorous plugin update schedules to ensure vulnerabilities get patched before attackers can discover and exploit them.

Question 8

Is there an alternate to the AMP plugin I should consider?

Accepted Answer

Is there an alternate to the AMP plugin I should consider?

As a precaution, some site owners may opt to switch from the AMP plugin to alternate mobile experience plugins while more details emerge. WPtouch is one option to consider for retaining site functionality if you lose faith in AMP's security.

Question 9

How often have vulnerabilities happened before in the AMP plugin?

Accepted Answer

How often have vulnerabilities happened before in the AMP plugin?

This marks the 4th vulnerability publicly disclosed in the AMP plugin since October 2018. The wide user base and functionality of the plugin makes it an enticing target for researchers hunting flaws.

Question 10

I don’t have time for this plugin update stuff. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

I don’t have time for this plugin update stuff. What should I do?

For time-strapped small business owners on WordPress, delegating site security management may be wise. Web development firms can provide ongoing auditing, maintenance and updates for plugins to avoid disasters down the road. Protecting your livelihood is worth the investment.

accelerated mobile pages

WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Report – AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages – Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via shortcode – CVE-2023-48321

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Additional Resources

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