CVE-2024-33686 in Pathway Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/29/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Extend Themes Pathway, Extend Themes Hugo WP, Extend Themes Althea WP, Extend Themes Elevate WP, Extend Themes Brite, Extend Themes Colibri WP, Extend Themes Vertice.This issue affects Pathway: from n/a through 1.0.15; Hugo WP: from n/a through 1.0.8; Althea WP: from n/a through 1.0.13; Elevate WP: from n/a through 1.0.15; Brite: from n/a through 1.0.11; Colibri WP: from n/a through 1.0.94; Vertice: from n/a through 1.0.7.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2024
The CVE-2024-33686 vulnerability represents a critical missing authorization flaw affecting multiple WordPress themes developed by Extend Themes, including Pathway, Hugo WP, Althea WP, Elevate WP, Brite, Colibri WP, and Vertice. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-863 category of "Incorrect Authorization" which occurs when a system does not properly verify that an actor has sufficient authorization to perform a requested operation. The affected versions span across several theme releases where the authorization checks have been improperly implemented or completely omitted, creating a significant security risk for WordPress installations using these themes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the theme's backend functionality. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized actions that should typically be restricted to administrators or authenticated users with appropriate privileges. The vulnerability likely manifests through API endpoints, admin panels, or theme customization features that lack proper user authentication and authorization verification. These themes appear to have been developed without sufficient input validation and access control enforcement, allowing malicious actors to bypass normal security boundaries and execute privileged operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions within WordPress installations. An attacker could potentially modify theme settings, upload malicious files, manipulate content, or even escalate privileges within the affected WordPress environment. This risk is particularly concerning given that many WordPress sites rely on third-party themes for their frontend presentation and functionality, making these vulnerable themes potential entry points for broader system compromise. The vulnerability affects all versions from the initial release through the specified maximum versions, indicating a persistent flaw in the theme development lifecycle that has not been adequately addressed.
Organizations using any of the affected Extend Themes should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the latest available versions where patches have been released, implementing network-level restrictions to limit access to administrative interfaces, and conducting thorough security audits of their WordPress installations. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1078 Valid Accounts and T1548 Abuse of Cloud Infrastructure, as attackers may leverage this weakness to establish persistent access or move laterally within compromised environments. Additionally, implementing proper input validation, role-based access control, and regular security testing can help prevent similar authorization failures from occurring in other components of the WordPress ecosystem. Security monitoring should specifically focus on unusual administrative activities or unauthorized theme modifications that could indicate exploitation of this vulnerability.