CVE-2021-24752 in Essential Widgets Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/18/2021
Multiple Plugins from the CatchThemes vendor do not perform capability and CSRF checks in the ctp_switch AJAX action, which could allow any authenticated users, such as Subscriber to change the Essential Widgets WordPress plugin before 1.9, To Top WordPress plugin before 2.3, Header Enhancement WordPress plugin before 1.5, Generate Child Theme WordPress plugin before 1.6, Essential Content Types WordPress plugin before 1.9, Catch Web Tools WordPress plugin before 2.7, Catch Under Construction WordPress plugin before 1.4, Catch Themes Demo Import WordPress plugin before 1.6, Catch Sticky Menu WordPress plugin before 1.7, Catch Scroll Progress Bar WordPress plugin before 1.6, Social Gallery and Widget WordPress plugin before 2.3, Catch Infinite Scroll WordPress plugin before 1.9, Catch Import Export WordPress plugin before 1.9, Catch Gallery WordPress plugin before 1.7, Catch Duplicate Switcher WordPress plugin before 1.6, Catch Breadcrumb WordPress plugin before 1.7, Catch IDs WordPress plugin before 2.4's configurations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-24752 represents a critical authorization flaw within multiple WordPress plugins developed by CatchThemes. This issue stems from the absence of proper capability and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) validation mechanisms within the ctp_switch AJAX action implementation. The flaw exists across a wide range of plugins including Essential Widgets, To Top, Header Enhancement, Generate Child Theme, and numerous others, all of which are affected by this oversight. The vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to the mentioned patch releases, indicating a widespread issue within the CatchThemes plugin ecosystem.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows any authenticated user account to manipulate plugin configurations through the AJAX endpoint, bypassing the intended access controls. This represents a classic privilege escalation scenario where users with minimal permissions such as subscribers can execute administrative functions. The ctp_switch AJAX action serves as an entry point for configuration changes, and the lack of capability checks means that the system does not verify whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to perform the requested operations. Additionally, the absence of CSRF protection makes these actions susceptible to cross-site request forgery attacks, where malicious actors could potentially trick authenticated users into performing unauthorized actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it provides attackers with the ability to modify core plugin functionality that could affect website performance, security posture, and user experience. Attackers could potentially disable critical features, modify plugin behavior, or introduce malicious configurations that could compromise the entire website. This vulnerability particularly affects WordPress sites that rely on these plugins for essential functionality, creating a significant risk for website owners who may not be immediately aware of the compromised access controls. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor security practices in plugin development, where basic authentication and authorization checks are omitted from critical AJAX endpoints.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of all affected plugins to versions that include proper capability and CSRF validation. Website administrators should ensure that all plugins are updated to their latest versions and that regular security monitoring is implemented. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-863, which addresses "Incorrect Authorization," and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 for valid accounts and T1546 for exploitation of trusted relationships, as attackers can leverage legitimate user accounts to perform unauthorized actions. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring for unauthorized AJAX requests, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security audits of third-party plugins to identify similar authorization flaws. The incident highlights the importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in web applications, particularly when dealing with AJAX endpoints that handle sensitive operations.