CVE-2024-32433 in BEAF Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/15/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Themefic BEAF beaf-before-and-after-gallery.This issue affects BEAF: from n/a through <= 4.5.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/02/2026
The CVE-2024-32433 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Themefic BEAF beaf-before-and-after-gallery plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability exists in versions ranging from the initial release through version 4.5.4, creating a significant security risk for WordPress sites utilizing this specific gallery plugin. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms, which allows authenticated attackers to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's administrative functionality where users can modify gallery configurations, add new images, or alter existing gallery settings through web requests that are not properly validated for authenticity.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when the plugin processes administrative requests without verifying the presence of a valid anti-forgery token or nonce. This weakness enables attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrative sessions, bypassing standard authentication mechanisms. The flaw operates at the web application layer where the plugin fails to enforce proper request validation controls, allowing unauthorized modifications to gallery configurations and content. According to CWE-352, this vulnerability maps directly to Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is classified as a critical security weakness in web applications where the system does not properly validate that requests originate from legitimate sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial for WordPress administrators who rely on the BEAF plugin for their gallery management. Attackers with access to an administrator's session can perform unauthorized modifications to gallery settings, potentially leading to data corruption, unauthorized content changes, or even complete gallery disruption. The vulnerability also poses a risk for privilege escalation attacks where attackers might leverage the CSRF flaw to gain additional access rights within the WordPress administration panel. The attack vector typically involves tricking administrators into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised websites while authenticated to their WordPress sites, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently browse untrusted web content.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.002 which involves exploiting weaknesses in web application security to maintain persistent access. The vulnerability could be exploited by attackers who have already gained some level of access to the target environment, using the CSRF flaw to expand their privileges or alter critical gallery configurations. Organizations should prioritize patching this vulnerability immediately upon release of a security update, as the plugin's widespread use within WordPress environments means that many sites could be exposed to this attack vector. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper input validation and request authenticity checks in web applications, particularly within content management systems where administrative functions are exposed to potentially untrusted network traffic. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through web application firewalls and log analysis to detect unauthorized administrative actions that might indicate successful CSRF attacks against this specific plugin vulnerability.