CVE-2024-1462 in Maintenance Page Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/13/2024
The Maintenance Page plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Basic Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.8 via the REST API. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to view post titles and content when the site is in maintenance mode.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2026
The CVE-2024-1462 vulnerability affects the Maintenance Page plugin for WordPress, specifically versions up to and including 10.8, creating a critical information exposure risk through the REST API interface. This flaw represents a significant security weakness that undermines the fundamental purpose of maintenance mode functionality, which is designed to temporarily restrict public access to a website while allowing administrators to perform updates or maintenance tasks. The vulnerability exploits a lack of proper authentication checks within the plugin's REST API endpoints, allowing any unauthenticated user to access sensitive content that should remain hidden during maintenance periods.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the plugin's API handlers. When WordPress is configured in maintenance mode, the plugin typically restricts public access to prevent unauthorized users from viewing the site's content. However, the Maintenance Page plugin fails to properly enforce authentication requirements for its REST API endpoints, creating an attack vector that bypasses the intended security controls. This weakness specifically manifests when the REST API is accessed through the plugin's endpoints, where post titles and full content are exposed without requiring proper authentication credentials. The vulnerability can be exploited through standard REST API calls that target the plugin's specific endpoints, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no specialized tools or techniques beyond basic API interaction methods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of WordPress sites using the affected plugin. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gather detailed information about website content, including draft posts, scheduled publications, and potentially sensitive data that might be present in the maintenance mode environment. This exposure creates opportunities for competitive intelligence gathering, content theft, and potential further exploitation if the exposed content contains sensitive information or reveals the site's structure and content organization. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects all versions up to 10.8, meaning that a substantial number of WordPress installations could be compromised, and the issue persists even when maintenance mode is properly configured. This weakness can be exploited by automated scanners or manual attackers who simply need to access the REST API endpoints to retrieve the exposed content.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability by updating to the latest version of the Maintenance Page plugin where the issue has been resolved. Organizations should also consider implementing additional network-level controls such as API rate limiting and access restriction policies to minimize the impact of potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in API security. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving information gathering and credential access, as attackers can use the exposed content to gain intelligence about the target system and potentially identify other attack vectors. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates poor security design practices that should be addressed through comprehensive security testing of API endpoints, particularly in plugins that handle sensitive access controls and maintenance mode configurations. Organizations should also review their overall WordPress security posture and ensure that all plugins are regularly updated and vetted for security vulnerabilities to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.