CVE-2024-2848 in Responsive Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/29/2024
The Responsive theme for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the save_footer_text_callback function in all versions up to, and including, 5.0.2. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary HTML content into the site's footer.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-2848 affects the Responsive theme for WordPress, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of affected websites. This issue stems from a fundamental lack of access control validation within the theme's codebase, specifically within the save_footer_text_callback function that handles footer text modifications. The vulnerability exists in all versions of the Responsive theme up to and including version 5.0.2, making it a widespread concern for WordPress site administrators who have not yet updated their installations.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing capability check that should normally verify whether the requesting user possesses adequate permissions to modify theme settings. Without this essential validation, any unauthenticated attacker can exploit the vulnerability to inject arbitrary HTML content into the website's footer section. This represents a classic authorization bypass vulnerability that falls under the CWE-863 category of "Incorrect Authorization" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which involves exploiting weaknesses in application authorization mechanisms. The absence of proper authentication verification allows attackers to manipulate the site's footer content without requiring valid credentials or administrative privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple content injection, as it creates potential vectors for more sophisticated attacks. Attackers can leverage the injected HTML to perform cross-site scripting attacks, inject malicious scripts that compromise user sessions, or redirect visitors to phishing sites. The compromised footer area becomes a persistent attack surface that remains active until the vulnerability is patched, potentially affecting all visitors to the compromised website. This type of vulnerability can also serve as a foothold for further exploitation, as it demonstrates the theme's susceptibility to unauthorized modifications and may indicate additional security weaknesses within the same codebase.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies to protect their WordPress installations. The primary and most effective mitigation involves updating the Responsive theme to the latest available version that contains the patched capability check. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious requests attempting to modify theme settings. Regular security audits of WordPress themes and plugins should be conducted to identify similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities, and access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only authorized personnel can modify critical website components. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date WordPress themes and plugins, as well as implementing proper security monitoring to detect unauthorized modifications to website content.