CVE-2024-13232 in Awesome Import & Export Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/05/2025
The WordPress Awesome Import & Export Plugin - Import & Export WordPress Data plugin for WordPress is vulnerable arbitrary SQL Execution and privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the renderImport() function in all versions up to, and including, 4.1.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to execute arbitrary SQL statements that can leveraged to create a new administrative user account.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-13232 affects the WordPress Awesome Import & Export Plugin, specifically targeting versions up to and including 4.1.1. This security flaw resides within the renderImport() function which lacks proper capability validation, creating a critical access control weakness that can be exploited by authenticated attackers. The issue stems from insufficient input sanitization and authorization checks that allow malicious users with subscriber-level privileges or higher to manipulate the plugin's functionality beyond its intended scope. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability that undermines the fundamental security model of WordPress installations relying on role-based access controls.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the renderImport() function which processes import operations without verifying whether the requesting user possesses adequate permissions to perform such actions. Attackers can leverage this weakness to inject and execute arbitrary SQL commands against the WordPress database, bypassing normal security boundaries that should prevent non-administrative users from accessing sensitive administrative functions. The vulnerability specifically enables authenticated users to escalate their privileges and create new administrative accounts, effectively compromising the entire WordPress installation. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and demonstrates how missing capability checks can lead to severe privilege escalation scenarios.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-13232 extends beyond simple data manipulation to full system compromise, as attackers can establish persistent administrative access through the creation of new admin user accounts. This vulnerability allows threat actors to maintain long-term access to compromised WordPress installations, potentially leading to data exfiltration, defacement, or further network infiltration. The attack vector requires only subscriber-level access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users who normally have limited privileges within the system. This weakness creates a significant risk for WordPress sites that rely on the plugin for data management operations, as it effectively provides a backdoor mechanism for attackers to gain administrative control over the platform.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the latest version of the Awesome Import & Export Plugin where the capability check has been properly implemented. System administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring and access control measures to detect unauthorized import operations and privilege escalation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive security audits of all installed plugins to identify similar capability validation issues, as well as implementing proper input validation and output encoding practices. Security teams should also review user access controls and ensure that role-based permissions are properly enforced throughout the WordPress installation, as this vulnerability demonstrates how a single missing authorization check can compromise the entire system security model. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the use of application-specific weaknesses to gain elevated system access.