CVE-2024-0859 in Affiliates Manager Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/06/2024
The Affiliates Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 2.9.34. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the process_bulk_action function in ListAffiliatesTable.php. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to delete affiliates via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2026
The CVE-2024-0859 vulnerability affects the Affiliates Manager plugin for WordPress, a widely used tool for managing affiliate relationships and commissions within WordPress ecosystems. This plugin serves as a critical component for e-commerce sites and content creators who rely on affiliate marketing programs to generate revenue. The vulnerability resides within the plugin's administrative interface where it fails to implement proper security controls for bulk operations, specifically targeting the process_bulk_action function within the ListAffiliatesTable.php file. This represents a significant security weakness in a plugin that handles sensitive affiliate data and administrative operations.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of nonce validation within the process_bulk_action function, which is a fundamental security mechanism designed to prevent unauthorized requests from being executed on behalf of authenticated users. Nonces, or number used once, are cryptographic tokens that ensure actions performed on a website originate from legitimate sources and are not forged by malicious actors. The missing nonce validation creates a persistent cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows attackers to manipulate the plugin's administrative functions without requiring authentication. This vulnerability specifically impacts the deletion functionality of affiliate records, enabling attackers to remove legitimate affiliates from the system through crafted malicious requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data deletion, as it compromises the integrity and availability of affiliate marketing programs. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can remove legitimate affiliates, potentially disrupting revenue streams for site owners who depend on their affiliate networks. The attack requires social engineering to trick administrators into clicking malicious links, but once successful, the consequences are severe as the attacker can delete multiple affiliate records in a single malicious request. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.9.34, indicating a long-standing issue that has not been properly addressed in the plugin's security implementation.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw demonstrates a classic example of insufficient validation of security tokens, where the application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which involves social engineering through phishing attacks, as the exploitation requires administrator interaction with malicious links. The security implications are particularly severe for WordPress sites that rely heavily on affiliate marketing, as the compromise of affiliate data can lead to financial losses and disruption of business operations.
Organizations should immediately update to the latest version of the Affiliates Manager plugin where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper nonce implementation. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring to detect unauthorized bulk operations within their affiliate management interfaces. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices in WordPress environments and demonstrates how seemingly minor security oversights in plugin development can create significant risks for website owners and their users. Regular security audits of installed plugins and adherence to WordPress security best practices remain essential for preventing such vulnerabilities from being exploited in production environments.