CVE-2024-1319 in Events Tickets Plus Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/04/2024
The Events Tickets Plus WordPress plugin before 5.9.1 does not prevent users with at least the contributor role from leaking the attendees list on any post type regardless of status. (e.g. draft, private, pending review, password-protected, and trashed posts).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2025
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2024-1319 affects the Events Tickets Plus WordPress plugin version 5.9.1 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security of event management systems. This issue stems from insufficient privilege validation within the plugin's attendee list retrieval mechanisms, allowing users with minimal contributor-level permissions to access sensitive attendee data across all post types regardless of their publication status. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's handling of attendee information disclosure, creating a scenario where unauthorized individuals can bypass normal access controls that should restrict such sensitive data to authorized event organizers and administrators only.
The technical implementation flaw resides in the plugin's failure to properly validate user roles and permissions when processing attendee list requests. Contributors in WordPress typically have limited capabilities including writing posts, editing their own posts, and managing their own comments, yet this vulnerability enables them to retrieve attendee information from any post regardless of its status. This includes draft posts that are not yet published, private content that should be restricted to specific users, pending review items, password-protected posts, and even trashed content that has been removed from active publication. The flaw essentially removes all access restrictions that should normally be enforced by WordPress's core permission system, creating a direct pathway for unauthorized data leakage.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it represents a significant breach of privacy and potential security compromise for event organizers and their attendees. When users with contributor roles can access attendee lists for private or draft events, it creates opportunities for social engineering attacks, targeted phishing campaigns, and unauthorized data collection. The vulnerability particularly affects events that are scheduled for private or restricted access, where attendees expect their information to remain confidential. This flaw can lead to unauthorized tracking of event participation, potential stalking or harassment of attendees, and exposure of personal information that organizers may have collected for legitimate business purposes but did not intend to make publicly accessible.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique where an attacker with minimal permissions can access data that should be restricted to higher-privileged users. The vulnerability also relates to CWE-668 (Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) as it allows unauthorized access to resources that should be contained within specific user contexts. Organizations using this plugin face significant risks including potential regulatory violations under data protection laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and similar privacy regulations that require proper handling of personal attendee information.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 5.9.1 or later, which contains the necessary access control fixes. Administrators should conduct thorough audits of existing event data to identify any unauthorized access that may have occurred, particularly focusing on private or draft events that were accessible to contributors. Role-based access controls should be reviewed and strengthened, ensuring that only users with appropriate event management permissions can access attendee information. Additional defensive measures include implementing network-level monitoring to detect unusual access patterns and establishing regular security assessments of third-party plugins. Organizations should also consider implementing data loss prevention measures that can automatically detect and block unauthorized attendee list exports, particularly for sensitive events where privacy is paramount. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of regular security updates and thorough testing of WordPress plugins before deployment in production environments.