CVE-2024-13907 in Total Upkeep Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2025
The Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 1.16.8 via the 'download' function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to make web requests to arbitrary locations originating from the web application and can be used to query and modify information from internal services.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-13907 affects the Total Upkeep WordPress backup plugin developed by BoldGrid, specifically impacting versions up to and including 1.16.8. This represents a critical security flaw that exploits a server-side request forgery vulnerability within the plugin's download functionality. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly restrict outbound network requests from the affected WordPress installation. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can manipulate the plugin's download function to initiate HTTP requests to arbitrary destinations, effectively bypassing normal network restrictions and security controls that typically protect internal systems from external access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's handling of user-supplied parameters within the download function, where the application fails to validate or sanitize the target URL before executing the request. This flaw allows authenticated attackers with administrator privileges to craft malicious requests that can traverse internal network boundaries and access services that should remain isolated from external reach. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-918, which describes server-side request forgery vulnerabilities where applications fail to properly validate and restrict external requests originating from server-side components. The attack surface extends beyond simple data exfiltration to potentially enable lateral movement within network environments, as the compromised plugin can be used to probe internal services, databases, or other systems that are not directly exposed to the internet.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for WordPress installations using the affected plugin, as it provides attackers with a mechanism to perform reconnaissance and potentially exploit other systems within the same network infrastructure. An attacker with administrator-level access can use this vulnerability to query internal services, potentially discovering additional vulnerabilities in networked systems, accessing sensitive data stored in internal databases, or even manipulating configurations of services that are normally protected by network segmentation. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only administrative privileges within the WordPress environment, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers who have already gained access to administrative accounts through other means such as credential theft, weak password attacks, or other initial compromise vectors.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the Total Upkeep plugin where the vulnerability has been patched, implementing network segmentation to limit outbound access from web servers, and monitoring for suspicious outbound network requests that may indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1071.004 for application layer protocols and T1566 for credential harvesting, as attackers can use this vulnerability to escalate privileges and access internal systems. Additionally, implementing proper input validation, using allowlists for permitted URLs, and employing web application firewalls can provide defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins and components that may be susceptible to similar server-side request forgery attacks.