CVE-2024-1777 in Admin Side Data Storage for Contact Form 7 Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/23/2024
The Admin side data storage for Contact Form 7 plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.1. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the settings update function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update the plugin's settings via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-1777 affects the Contact Form 7 plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting the administrative data storage mechanisms. This represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of plugin configuration management and exposes WordPress sites to unauthorized modifications. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.1.1, indicating a widespread impact across numerous installations that have not yet been updated to address this weakness. The flaw resides in the administrative interface's settings update function, which fails to properly validate cryptographic nonces that are essential for preventing unauthorized modifications to plugin configurations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper nonce validation within the plugin's administrative settings update functionality. Nonces serve as cryptographic tokens that verify the authenticity of administrative actions and ensure that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions. When these nonces are missing or incorrectly implemented, attackers can forge requests that appear to come from authenticated administrators. This weakness allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate plugin settings through carefully crafted malicious requests that exploit the trust relationship between the WordPress admin interface and legitimate administrative actions. The vulnerability operates under the principle that an attacker can trick a logged-in administrator into executing unintended actions, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently click on links from untrusted sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it provides attackers with potential pathways to more serious security compromises. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could modify plugin settings to redirect form submissions to malicious endpoints, disable security features, or alter data handling behaviors that could lead to data exfiltration or system compromise. The vulnerability's exploitation requires social engineering to trick administrators into clicking malicious links, but once successful, it can result in persistent modifications that affect all form submissions processed by the plugin. This type of attack vector is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where administrators may be less cautious about clicking links from unverified sources, and where the administrative interface may be accessible from multiple locations or devices.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery flaws in web applications. This classification emphasizes the fundamental weakness in the plugin's authentication and authorization mechanisms, where the system fails to properly validate the source of administrative requests. From the ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation and persistence tactics, as attackers can leverage administrative access to modify plugin configurations that may be used for long-term system compromise. The vulnerability also relates to the web application security domain where insufficient validation of user-supplied data can lead to unauthorized modifications of system configurations. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of this vulnerability to prevent potential exploitation and maintain the integrity of their WordPress installations. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to the latest version of the Contact Form 7 plugin where the nonce validation has been properly implemented and verified.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the critical importance of proper input validation and authentication mechanisms in web applications, particularly those with administrative functions. This flaw demonstrates how seemingly minor security oversights in plugin development can create significant risks for entire WordPress installations. The vulnerability serves as a reminder that even widely-used plugins with established security track records can contain critical flaws that require immediate attention from system administrators and security teams. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should include verification of nonce implementation in administrative interfaces to prevent similar issues from affecting other plugins or custom applications within the WordPress ecosystem.