CVE-2024-27195 in Watermark RELOADED Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/16/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in sverde1 Watermark RELOADED watermark-reloaded allows Cross Site Request Forgery.This issue affects Watermark RELOADED: from n/a through <= 1.3.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2026
The CVE-2024-27195 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the sverde1 Watermark RELOADED WordPress plugin, specifically impacting versions ranging from the initial release through version 1.3.5. This vulnerability resides in the plugin's watermark-reloaded component and exposes WordPress sites utilizing this plugin to unauthorized administrative actions. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the plugin's administrative interfaces. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions, potentially enabling them to perform unauthorized actions such as modifying plugin settings, adding new users, or altering content without proper authentication.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the plugin's security architecture, where the administrative endpoints lack proper origin verification mechanisms and anti-CSRF protection measures. According to CWE-352, this vulnerability maps directly to Cross-Site Request Forgery, a well-documented web application security weakness that occurs when a web application fails to verify that requests originate from the authenticated user. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it affects the plugin's administrative functionality, which typically requires elevated privileges to access. This flaw enables attackers to leverage legitimate user sessions to execute unauthorized operations, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently access the plugin's settings or perform administrative tasks.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability creates significant risk for WordPress administrators who rely on the Watermark RELOADED plugin for their website's functionality. The attack vector typically involves tricking an authenticated administrator into visiting a malicious website or clicking on a crafted link that automatically submits requests to the vulnerable plugin's administrative endpoints. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique under the T1078 credential access sub-technique, where attackers leverage existing authenticated sessions to perform unauthorized actions. The vulnerability's exploitation potential extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it could enable attackers to install malware, modify user permissions, or manipulate content in ways that could compromise the entire website's integrity and security posture.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-27195 primarily focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF implementation flaws. Administrators should prioritize upgrading to the latest available version of the Watermark RELOADED plugin where the anti-CSRF protections have been properly implemented. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and origin checking mechanisms within the plugin's administrative interfaces would address the root cause. Network-level protections such as implementing Content Security Policy headers and using web application firewalls can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of installed plugins and maintaining updated security practices including session management and authentication controls are essential for preventing similar vulnerabilities from manifesting in other components of the WordPress ecosystem. Organizations should also consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized administrative activities and alert security teams to potential exploitation attempts.