CVE-2024-24796 in Event Manager and Tickets Selling Plugin for WooCommerce
Summary
by MITRE • 02/12/2024
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in MagePeople Team Event Manager and Tickets Selling Plugin for WooCommerce – WpEvently – WordPress Plugin.This issue affects Event Manager and Tickets Selling Plugin for WooCommerce – WpEvently – WordPress Plugin: from n/a through 4.1.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2024
The CVE-2024-24796 vulnerability represents a critical deserialization of untrusted data flaw within the MagePeople Team Event Manager and Tickets Selling Plugin for WooCommerce, specifically affecting the WpEvently WordPress plugin. This vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-502, which classifies deserialization vulnerabilities as a serious security concern where applications deserialize untrusted data without proper validation or sanitization. The flaw exists in versions ranging from the initial release through 4.1.1, indicating a prolonged period during which the plugin was susceptible to exploitation. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it occurs within a widely-used WordPress plugin ecosystem where user input is processed through deserialization mechanisms, creating potential attack vectors for malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly validate or sanitize data during the deserialization process. When the plugin processes user-supplied data through PHP's unserialize() function or similar mechanisms, it does not adequately verify the integrity or origin of the serialized data. Attackers can craft malicious serialized objects that, when processed by the vulnerable plugin, can execute arbitrary code on the target system. This type of vulnerability is categorized under the ATT&CK framework as T1548.001 - Abuse Elevation of privileges, specifically through the manipulation of serialized data structures to gain unauthorized access or execute malicious payloads. The deserialization flaw allows attackers to bypass normal input validation checks and directly manipulate the application's object state.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it can lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive data. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions such as creating administrative accounts, modifying existing user permissions, accessing confidential information, or even installing backdoors for persistent access. The affected plugin's integration with WooCommerce means that successful exploitation could result in financial data breaches, customer information compromise, and potential disruption of business operations. The vulnerability affects WordPress installations where the plugin is active, making it a significant concern for businesses relying on event management and ticketing systems that utilize this specific plugin ecosystem. Organizations may face regulatory compliance issues and reputational damage if their systems are compromised through this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-24796 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the deserialization flaw, as developers have likely released patches to fix the vulnerability. System administrators should implement strict input validation measures and sanitize all user-supplied data before processing, particularly when dealing with serialized objects. The implementation of Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) can provide additional protection by filtering malicious serialized data attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls, monitoring for unusual administrative activities, and conducting regular security audits of installed plugins. Security professionals should apply the principle of defense in depth by combining multiple mitigation techniques including network segmentation, regular security scanning, and maintaining up-to-date security monitoring systems to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing proper error handling and logging mechanisms can help identify exploitation attempts and provide forensic data for incident response activities.