CVE-2024-12545 in Scratch & Win Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/04/2025
The Scratch & Win – Giveaways and Contests. Boost subscribers, traffic, repeat visits, referrals, sales and more plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.1. This is due to missing nonce validation on the reset_installation() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to reset the plugin’s installation 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 • 02/15/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-12545 affects the Scratch & Win plugin for WordPress, a tool designed to enhance user engagement through giveaways and contests. This plugin, which aims to boost subscriber acquisition, traffic generation, and sales conversion, has been found to contain a critical cross-site request forgery weakness that impacts all versions up to and including 2.7.1. The flaw resides in the plugin's reset_installation() function, which fails to implement proper nonce validation mechanisms that are essential for verifying the authenticity of user actions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of nonce verification within the reset_installation() function, creating a path for malicious actors to manipulate the plugin's operational state without proper authorization. A nonce, as defined by the CWE-352 standard for Cross-Site Request Forgery, serves as a unique value that ensures requests originate from legitimate sources and are not forged by attackers. This particular flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002, which involves the exploitation of weak validation controls in web applications to perform unauthorized operations. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute a reset operation that could potentially wipe plugin configurations, reset user data, or disrupt the plugin's functionality entirely.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for WordPress site administrators who rely on the Scratch & Win plugin for their marketing campaigns. An attacker could exploit this weakness by crafting a malicious link or embedding a forged request within a compromised website, then tricking administrators into clicking the link or visiting the malicious page. This social engineering approach leverages the trust administrators place in their own browsing sessions, making the attack particularly dangerous. Upon successful exploitation, the reset installation function could delete plugin settings, reset user participation data, or disable contest functionality, potentially causing substantial disruption to marketing efforts and user engagement activities. The vulnerability also poses risks to data integrity and could lead to loss of valuable contest participation records and subscriber information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of the plugin to version 2.7.2 or later, which contains the necessary nonce validation fixes. Site administrators should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring for unauthorized plugin modifications and establishing robust access controls for administrative accounts. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and regular security audits can help detect and prevent similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and conducting regular security assessments of third-party plugins to identify potential CSRF weaknesses. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and authentication mechanisms in web applications, particularly those handling user engagement and data collection functions, as outlined in security best practices for web application development and maintenance.