CVE-2024-0620 in PPWP Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/29/2024
The PPWP – Password Protect Pages plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.8.9 via API. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to obtain post titles, IDs, slugs as well as other information including for password-protected posts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2026
The CVE-2024-0620 vulnerability affects the PPWP – Password Protect Pages plugin for WordPress, representing a significant security flaw that exposes sensitive data through an improperly secured application programming interface. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.8.9, making it a widespread concern for WordPress users who rely on this plugin for content protection. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to access information that should remain private, undermining the fundamental security model of password-protected content within WordPress environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the plugin's API endpoints. When attackers exploit this weakness, they can retrieve comprehensive metadata about posts including titles, unique identifiers, URL slugs, and other contextual information that would normally be restricted to authorized users. The exposure extends to password-protected posts, which means that content that administrators intended to keep confidential becomes accessible to anyone who can make API requests to the vulnerable system. This represents a clear violation of data confidentiality principles and demonstrates inadequate input validation and authentication mechanisms within the plugin's code structure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial for WordPress administrators and content creators who depend on the plugin for protecting sensitive information. Attackers can potentially gather intelligence about content strategies, identify high-value posts, and exploit this information for social engineering attacks or targeted content manipulation. The exposure of post metadata could enable attackers to map content hierarchies, understand editorial patterns, and potentially identify vulnerabilities in content management workflows. This information disclosure threat extends beyond simple privacy concerns to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks that leverage the exposed data for further exploitation.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-200, which specifically addresses information exposure, and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 related to data from information repositories. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics of improper access control issues that commonly appear in web applications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to the latest plugin version, implementing additional authentication layers, and monitoring for suspicious API access patterns. Network-level controls such as rate limiting and API request filtering can provide temporary protection while permanent fixes are deployed, though the most effective solution remains updating to a patched version that properly implements authentication checks and authorization controls for all API endpoints.