CVE-2024-11689 in HQ Rental Software Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2024
The HQ Rental Software plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 1.5.29. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the displaySettingsPage() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update arbitrary options that can be leveraged for privilege escalation 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 • 02/18/2025
The CVE-2024-11689 vulnerability affects the HQ Rental Software plugin for WordPress, representing a critical cross-site request forgery weakness that has been present in all versions up to and including 1.5.29. This vulnerability stems from inadequate security controls within the plugin's codebase, specifically in the displaySettingsPage() function where nonce validation is either missing or improperly implemented. The flaw creates a dangerous attack vector that allows unauthenticated adversaries to manipulate plugin settings and potentially escalate their privileges within the WordPress environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of proper nonce verification mechanisms that are essential for validating legitimate user requests. In WordPress security architecture, nonces serve as time-limited tokens that ensure requests originate from authorized sources and prevent malicious actors from crafting forged requests that could manipulate plugin configurations. When this validation is absent or flawed, attackers can construct malicious requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress system, thereby bypassing the normal authentication and authorization checks that should protect sensitive plugin settings.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to WordPress sites utilizing the affected plugin, particularly those managed by administrators who may be tricked into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised websites. The attack scenario typically involves social engineering tactics where administrators are诱导 to perform actions that trigger the forged requests, leading to unauthorized modifications of plugin options that could include configuration changes, user permissions adjustments, or other sensitive settings. This creates a pathway for privilege escalation attacks where attackers can gain elevated access to the WordPress administrative interface and potentially compromise the entire site.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes and can potentially lead to complete site compromise if attackers can leverage the modified settings to establish persistent access or deploy additional malicious code. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1547.001 for Registry Run Keys/Startup Folder, as attackers could potentially use the privilege escalation capabilities to establish persistence within the compromised WordPress environment. Organizations should immediately update to patched versions of the plugin, implement additional monitoring for unusual administrative changes, and educate users about the dangers of clicking suspicious links that could trigger such attacks.