CVE-2024-1340 in Login Lockdown Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/29/2024
The Login Lockdown – Protect Login Form plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on the generate_export_file function in all versions up to, and including, 2.08. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber access and higher, to export this plugin's settings that include whitelisted IP addresses as well as a global unlock key. With the global unlock key an attacker can add their IP address to the whitelist.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-1340 affects the Login Lockdown – Protect Login Form plugin for WordPress, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the plugin's access control mechanisms. This issue stems from a fundamental design oversight where the generate_export_file function fails to properly validate user capabilities before executing sensitive operations. The vulnerability exists in all plugin versions up to and including 2.08, making it a widespread concern for WordPress installations that rely on this security plugin to protect their login forms from unauthorized access attempts.
The technical flaw manifests through a missing capability check that should have been implemented to ensure that only users with appropriate administrative privileges can access the plugin's export functionality. This oversight allows authenticated attackers who possess subscriber-level access or higher to exploit the vulnerability and extract sensitive configuration data. The exported data includes not only the plugin's settings but also contains whitelisted IP addresses and a critical global unlock key that serves as a master access credential. This particular design flaw directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in implementing proper access controls within the WordPress plugin architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, creating a significant risk for affected WordPress installations. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can leverage the global unlock key to add their own IP addresses to the whitelist, effectively bypassing the security controls that the plugin was designed to enforce. This creates a persistent backdoor that allows attackers to maintain access to the WordPress login system without requiring valid credentials. The implications are particularly severe because the plugin's primary purpose is to protect login forms, yet this vulnerability enables attackers to circumvent exactly those protections. This represents a classic case of privilege escalation where a low-privilege user gains elevated access to security-critical functionality.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, specifically the lack of proper authorization checks in software systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence, as attackers can use the exported unlock key to establish long-term access to the WordPress login system. The issue also reflects poor input validation and access control implementation patterns that are commonly observed in web application security flaws. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately update to the latest version of the plugin, which includes the necessary capability checks to prevent unauthorized access to export functions. Additionally, administrators should review their current access controls and consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual export activities, as this vulnerability represents a significant threat to WordPress site security and could potentially lead to full system compromise.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of proper capability validation in WordPress plugin development and demonstrate how seemingly minor oversights in access control can create substantial security risks. The plugin's failure to implement adequate checks for the generate_export_file function represents a critical gap in the security model that allows attackers to exploit the system's trust mechanisms. This vulnerability underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of WordPress plugins and the importance of adhering to established security best practices in plugin development. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level protections and monitoring solutions to detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability, as the global unlock key provides attackers with a powerful tool for bypassing security controls.