CVE-2024-12606 in AI Scribe Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/10/2025
The AI Scribe – SEO AI Writer, Content Generator, Humanizer, Blog Writer, SEO Optimizer, DALLE-3, AI WordPress Plugin ChatGPT (GPT-4o 128K) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the engine_request_data() function in all versions up to, and including, 2.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update plugin settings.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-12606 affects the AI Scribe WordPress plugin, a content generation tool that integrates various AI services including ChatGPT and DALL-E-3. This plugin serves as a comprehensive SEO optimization solution for WordPress websites, enabling users to generate blog content, optimize SEO elements, and create humanized text through artificial intelligence. The flaw resides within the engine_request_data() function which lacks proper capability verification, creating a critical authorization bypass opportunity. The vulnerability impacts all versions up to and including 2.3, making it a widespread concern for WordPress site administrators who have deployed this plugin.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from a missing capability check within the plugin's core functionality. When the engine_request_data() function processes requests, it fails to verify whether the authenticated user possesses sufficient privileges to modify plugin settings. This absence of proper access control validation creates a path for authenticated attackers who have Subscriber-level permissions or higher to manipulate the plugin's configuration parameters. The flaw directly corresponds to CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues in software applications. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic authorization bypass where the system does not properly validate user permissions before allowing data modification operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification as it allows attackers to potentially compromise the entire plugin ecosystem. Subscribers with basic user accounts can exploit this weakness to alter plugin settings that may affect content generation quality, SEO optimization parameters, or integration configurations with external AI services. This unauthorized modification capability could lead to content manipulation, SEO poisoning, or even serve as a stepping stone for more extensive attacks within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability enables attackers to potentially redirect content generation to malicious endpoints or modify optimization settings that could harm search engine rankings or compromise site security. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1546 Privilege Escalation, as it allows attackers to leverage existing user credentials to gain expanded capabilities within the plugin's administrative functions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-12606 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the missing capability check. Administrators should implement strict user role management and monitor for unauthorized modifications to plugin settings through logging and audit trails. The recommended approach includes verifying that all WordPress plugins maintain proper access controls and capability checks for administrative functions. Additionally, network monitoring should be employed to detect unusual patterns in plugin configuration changes, and regular security audits should validate that all user roles have appropriate permissions. Organizations should also consider implementing Web Application Firewalls to detect and block malicious requests targeting vulnerable functions, while maintaining comprehensive backup strategies to quickly restore plugin configurations if unauthorized modifications occur. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in WordPress plugin development, particularly for functions that modify core system parameters.