CVE-2024-1478 in Maintenance Mode Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/05/2024
The Maintenance Mode plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.1 via the REST API. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to obtain post and page content via API thus bypassing the content protection provided by the plugin.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2026
The Maintenance Mode plugin for WordPress presents a critical security vulnerability classified as CVE-2024-1478, which affects all versions up to and including 3.0.1. This vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the plugin's REST API implementation, creating a pathway for unauthorized information disclosure that undermines the fundamental security posture of websites relying on this maintenance functionality. The flaw specifically targets the plugin's inability to properly authenticate and authorize API requests, allowing malicious actors to bypass the intended content protection mechanisms that should safeguard sensitive post and page content during maintenance periods.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks within API endpoints. Attackers can exploit this weakness by making unauthenticated requests to the REST API endpoints exposed by the Maintenance Mode plugin, thereby obtaining content that should remain hidden from public view. This exposure occurs because the plugin fails to implement proper authentication mechanisms or access control validation before serving content through its API interface, effectively negating the security benefits that maintenance mode is designed to provide.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-1478 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model that websites place in maintenance mode functionality. Organizations using affected versions of the plugin may unknowingly expose sensitive business information, customer data, internal communications, or proprietary content that would typically be protected during maintenance periods. This vulnerability particularly affects websites that rely on maintenance mode for protecting draft content, private posts, or sensitive information that should remain inaccessible to unauthorized users until the maintenance period concludes.
Security practitioners should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to the latest version of the Maintenance Mode plugin where available, or implementing additional access control measures such as API rate limiting, IP whitelisting, or network-level restrictions to prevent unauthorized access to the vulnerable endpoints. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1213, which covers data from information repositories, and organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual API access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, administrators should conduct comprehensive security assessments of all WordPress plugins to identify similar authorization flaws and establish proper patch management procedures to prevent future occurrences of this type of vulnerability.