CVE-2024-31352 in Email Subscribers & Newsletters Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Email Subscribers & Newsletters.This issue affects Email Subscribers & Newsletters: from n/a through 5.7.13.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2024
The CVE-2024-31352 vulnerability represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the Email Subscribers & Newsletters plugin for WordPress, a widely deployed email marketing solution that serves thousands of websites globally. This vulnerability exists in versions ranging from the initial release through 5.7.13, indicating a prolonged period during which the flaw remained unaddressed and potentially exploitable by malicious actors. The issue stems from inadequate access controls that allow unauthorized users to perform administrative actions typically restricted to legitimate administrators, creating a significant security risk for WordPress sites relying on this plugin for email list management and newsletter distribution.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the CWE-863 category of "Incorrect Authorization," where the application fails to properly verify that an authenticated user has the necessary permissions to access specific resources or perform certain operations. In the context of Email Subscribers & Newsletters, this manifests as insufficient validation of user roles and capabilities when processing requests related to plugin configuration, subscriber management, or newsletter creation. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that bypass normal authorization checks, potentially gaining access to sensitive data, modifying subscriber lists, or even executing arbitrary code within the WordPress environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-31352 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it provides attackers with the capability to manipulate email campaigns, potentially leading to spam distribution, data exfiltration, or service disruption. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on email marketing automation, as unauthorized access to the plugin's administrative functions could result in compromised mailing lists, unauthorized campaign modifications, or even complete takeover of the email marketing infrastructure. The risk is compounded by the fact that many WordPress sites using this plugin may not have robust monitoring in place to detect unauthorized administrative access attempts, making the exploitation of this vulnerability particularly dangerous for businesses that depend on email communications for customer engagement and marketing.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the Email Subscribers & Newsletters plugin where the authorization flaw has been patched, implementing additional access controls such as two-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and conducting thorough security audits of their WordPress installations. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual administrative access patterns, and regular security assessments should be performed to identify similar authorization weaknesses in other plugins or themes. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the T1078 credential access and T1546 persistence tactics, highlighting the need for comprehensive defensive measures that address both immediate exploitation and long-term security posture improvement.