CVE-2024-34809 in EmpowerWP Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/17/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Extend Themes EmpowerWP.This issue affects EmpowerWP: from n/a through 1.0.21.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2026
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-34809 resides within the Extend Themes EmpowerWP plugin, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of web applications relying on this theme framework. This vulnerability specifically impacts versions ranging from the initial release through version 1.0.21, creating a window of exposure for countless WordPress installations that have not yet been updated to address this weakness. The flaw fundamentally compromises the plugin's ability to authenticate and validate legitimate user requests, potentially allowing malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the plugin's request handling processes. When users interact with the EmpowerWP theme, particularly during administrative operations or configuration changes, the system fails to adequately verify the authenticity of the request source. This omission creates a scenario where an attacker can craft malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate users, exploiting the trust relationship between the web application and its authenticated users. The vulnerability manifests when the application processes requests without requiring or validating cryptographic tokens that would normally ensure the request was intentionally initiated by the user rather than being automatically triggered through malicious means.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially enabling attackers to perform critical administrative functions such as modifying theme settings, altering user permissions, or even executing arbitrary code within the compromised environment. An attacker could leverage this weakness to gain persistent access to the affected WordPress installation, establish backdoors, or propagate the compromise to other systems within the network infrastructure. The implications are particularly severe given that EmpowerWP is designed as a comprehensive theme framework that likely provides extensive customization options and administrative controls, making the attack surface significantly larger than typical theme vulnerabilities.
Security standards such as CWE-352 categorize this vulnerability as a classic Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw, which aligns with the broader category of web application security weaknesses that frequently appear in content management systems and web frameworks. The ATT&CK framework would classify this vulnerability under the T1566.001 technique for "Phishing via Social Engineering", as the exploitation often relies on tricking users into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised websites that initiate unauthorized requests. Additionally, this vulnerability contributes to the broader category of credential hijacking and session manipulation techniques that threat actors frequently employ to maintain persistent access to compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of the affected EmpowerWP plugin to version 1.0.22 or later, as this represents the first release that addresses the identified CSRF vulnerability. Organizations should implement additional defensive measures including the deployment of web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, the implementation of proper CSRF token validation throughout all administrative endpoints, and the establishment of monitoring procedures to identify unauthorized changes to theme configurations. Network segmentation and least privilege access controls can further reduce the potential impact of exploitation by limiting the scope of actions that could be performed even if the vulnerability is successfully exploited. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive audits of all installed plugins and themes to identify similar vulnerabilities and ensure that all components maintain current security standards through regular update cycles and vulnerability assessments.