CVE-2024-24873 in CP Polls Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/17/2024
: Improper Control of Interaction Frequency vulnerability in CodePeople CP Polls allows Flooding.This issue affects CP Polls: from n/a through 1.0.71.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2024
The CVE-2024-24873 vulnerability represents a critical improper control of interaction frequency flaw within the CodePeople CP Polls plugin, which operates within WordPress environments. This vulnerability manifests as a flooding mechanism that can be exploited by malicious actors to overwhelm the plugin's interaction handling capabilities. The issue specifically impacts versions of CP Polls ranging from the initial release through version 1.0.71, indicating a prolonged period during which the flaw remained unaddressed. The vulnerability stems from inadequate rate limiting and frequency control mechanisms within the plugin's polling functionality, creating an avenue for abuse through excessive interaction requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to flood the plugin with repeated polling requests or interaction events that exceed normal operational parameters. This occurs due to the absence of proper validation and rate limiting controls on user interactions with the polling system. The flaw essentially permits unlimited or excessively frequent polling operations without adequate throttling mechanisms to prevent abuse. Attackers can leverage this weakness to generate excessive server load, potentially leading to denial of service conditions within the affected WordPress environment. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-770, which specifically addresses the improper control of a resource through frequency of access, making it a direct descendant of resource exhaustion and abuse patterns.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for WordPress sites utilizing the CP Polls plugin. The flooding mechanism can lead to server performance degradation, increased resource consumption, and potential service disruption for legitimate users. In high-traffic environments, the vulnerability could be exploited to cause sustained denial of service conditions, effectively preventing normal polling operations from functioning properly. The attack surface extends beyond simple resource exhaustion to include potential data integrity concerns, as excessive polling requests might interfere with normal data processing and storage operations within the plugin's framework. This vulnerability particularly impacts sites that rely heavily on polling functionality for user engagement and data collection purposes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-24873 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions beyond 1.0.71 where the vulnerability has been addressed. System administrators should implement additional rate limiting measures at the web server level or through WordPress security plugins to provide an additional layer of protection. Network-level monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual polling patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of CAPTCHA mechanisms or user authentication requirements for polling interactions can help reduce automated abuse. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on excessive polling requests. According to ATT&CK framework category T1499, this vulnerability aligns with resource exhaustion techniques that can be used to disrupt services, making it a critical target for defensive measures. Regular security assessments of WordPress plugins should be conducted to identify similar improper control of interaction frequency vulnerabilities that might exist in other components of the web application stack.