CVE-2024-13685 in Admin and Site Enhancements Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/04/2025
The Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) WordPress plugin before 7.6.10 retrieves client IP addresses from potentially untrusted headers, allowing an attacker to manipulate their value to bypass the login limit feature in the Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) WordPress plugin before 7.6.10.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-13685 affects the Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) WordPress plugin version 7.6.10 and earlier, presenting a significant security risk through improper handling of client IP address validation. This flaw stems from the plugin's reliance on potentially untrusted HTTP headers to determine visitor IP addresses, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate these values and circumvent security controls. The issue directly impacts the plugin's ability to enforce login rate limiting mechanisms, which are fundamental to protecting WordPress installations from brute force attacks and unauthorized access attempts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's IP address retrieval logic, which fails to properly validate or sanitize input from HTTP headers such as X-Forwarded-For, X-Real-IP, or similar proxy-related headers. These headers are commonly used when traffic passes through load balancers, proxies, or CDN services, but they can be easily spoofed by attackers who control the client-side request headers. When the plugin processes these headers without proper validation, it accepts potentially malicious IP addresses that may appear to originate from trusted sources, thereby undermining the intended security boundaries. This behavior aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically relating to inadequate input validation and improper privilege management within web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple bypass of login rate limiting, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of WordPress installations relying on the ASE plugin. Attackers can exploit this weakness to conduct unlimited login attempts without triggering the plugin's protective mechanisms, effectively rendering brute force protection ineffective. This creates a direct pathway for credential stuffing attacks, where attackers can systematically attempt multiple username and password combinations against the WordPress admin interface. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the network layer, allowing attackers to mask their true IP addresses while appearing to originate from legitimate sources within the network infrastructure.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to several ATT&CK techniques including T1110.003 Credential Stuffing and T1110.001 Brute Force, as it removes the effectiveness of rate limiting controls that would normally slow down or block automated attack attempts. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that many WordPress installations operate behind reverse proxies or load balancers, making the reliance on these headers common practice. Security researchers should note that this vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where the plugin is used for additional security features beyond simple login protection, as it undermines the entire security framework built around IP-based access controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-13685 require immediate attention through plugin updates to version 7.6.10 or later, which addresses the improper IP header handling by implementing proper validation mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing additional network-level controls such as firewall rules that restrict direct access to WordPress admin endpoints, particularly from untrusted networks. The solution should include proper header validation that either verifies the authenticity of forwarded headers through trusted proxy configurations or implements strict source validation that only accepts IP addresses from known legitimate sources. Security teams should also consider implementing more robust authentication mechanisms such as two-factor authentication and account lockout policies that provide defense in depth against credential-based attacks. Network administrators should review their proxy configurations to ensure that only authorized sources can provide IP address information through headers, and implement proper logging and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.