CVE-2024-13446 in Workreap Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/12/2025
The Workreap plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation via account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 3.2.5. This is due to the plugin not properly validating a user's identity prior to (1) performing a social auto-login or (2) updating their profile details (e.g. password). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to (1) login as an arbitrary user if their email address is known or (2) change an arbitrary user's password, including administrators, and leverage that to gain access to their account. NOTE: This vulnerability was partially fixed in version 3.2.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2025
The CVE-2024-13446 vulnerability affects the Workreap plugin for WordPress, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that enables unauthorized account takeover. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 3.2.5, making it a persistent threat to WordPress installations that utilize this plugin. The core issue stems from inadequate user identity validation mechanisms within the plugin's authentication and profile management processes, creating exploitable pathways for malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to user accounts.
The technical flaw manifests in two primary attack vectors that exploit the plugin's failure to properly authenticate user identities. First, the plugin lacks proper validation when processing social auto-login requests, allowing attackers to impersonate arbitrary users when they possess the target's email address. Second, the profile update functionality does not adequately verify user authorization before permitting modifications to account details, particularly password changes. This dual weakness creates a comprehensive attack surface where an unauthenticated attacker can either directly log into any user account or modify user credentials, including those belonging to administrators with elevated privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of WordPress user authentication systems. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain administrative control over affected installations, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized modification of website content. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by its ability to target any user account within the system, including high-privilege administrators, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on WordPress for critical business operations. The fact that the vulnerability was partially addressed in version 3.2.5 suggests that while some aspects were remediated, the underlying validation deficiencies may still persist in certain scenarios.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate mitigation of this vulnerability through plugin updates to version 3.2.5 or later, while implementing additional protective measures such as monitoring for unauthorized account modifications and strengthening authentication controls. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-862, which addresses insufficient authorization, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts, as it enables attackers to assume legitimate user identities. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication, regular security audits of installed plugins, and network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and user authentication mechanisms in web applications, particularly those handling user account management functions.