CVE-2024-13495 in GamiPress Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/22/2025
The The GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, achievements, badges & ranks in WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution via the gamipress_ajax_get_logs() function in all versions up to, and including, 7.2.1. This is due to the software allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2025
The CVE-2024-13495 vulnerability affects the GamiPress plugin for WordPress, a popular gamification solution that rewards users with points, achievements, badges, and ranks. This security flaw exists in all versions up to and including 7.2.1, representing a critical risk to WordPress installations that utilize this plugin. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the gamipress_ajax_get_logs() function, which processes AJAX requests without properly sanitizing user-supplied parameters before executing shortcode processing operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper handling of the do_shortcode() function call within the plugin's AJAX endpoint. When an attacker crafts a malicious request containing specially formatted shortcode parameters, the plugin fails to validate these inputs against a whitelist of allowed shortcodes or sanitize the content appropriately. This allows unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary shortcodes that may contain malicious code or trigger unintended functionality within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's AJAX handling mechanism, which is designed to retrieve user activity logs but becomes a vector for arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes without authentication, potentially leading to complete compromise of affected WordPress sites. Attackers could leverage this flaw to execute malicious shortcodes that might perform actions such as creating administrator accounts, injecting malicious content, stealing user data, or deploying backdoors. The vulnerability affects any WordPress site running an affected version of the GamiPress plugin, making it particularly dangerous given the widespread adoption of this gamification solution among WordPress users. The lack of authentication requirements means that any visitor to the site could potentially exploit this vulnerability, amplifying the attack surface and impact.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-13495 should prioritize immediate patching of the GamiPress plugin to version 7.2.2 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Administrators should also implement network-level protections such as restricting access to the plugin's AJAX endpoints through firewall rules or web application firewalls. Additionally, monitoring for unusual activity in the plugin's logging functions and implementing proper input validation at the application level can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) and CWE-94 (Code Injection) categories, and represents a technique that could be mapped to ATT&CK tactics including privilege escalation and persistence through the execution of arbitrary code within the WordPress environment.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in web applications, particularly in AJAX endpoints where user-supplied data flows directly into code execution contexts. The flaw highlights how seemingly benign functionality can become a security risk when proper sanitization and validation mechanisms are not implemented. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify other plugins or themes that may be vulnerable to similar issues, as the GamiPress plugin's vulnerability serves as a template for how insufficient validation in AJAX handlers can lead to arbitrary code execution. The security community should remain vigilant about similar patterns in other WordPress plugins that handle user input through AJAX mechanisms, as this represents a common attack vector that requires consistent defensive measures across the WordPress ecosystem.