CVE-2024-3520 in Country State City Dropdown CF7 Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/02/2024
The Country State City Dropdown CF7 plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the tc_csca_patch_settings function in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber access and above, to add states or cities to the dropdown.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-3520 affects the Country State City Dropdown CF7 plugin for WordPress, a widely used tool for creating dynamic dropdown menus in contact forms. This plugin enables website administrators to generate cascading dropdowns for country, state, and city selections, enhancing user experience in form submissions. The flaw resides in the tc_csca_patch_settings function which fails to implement proper capability verification before allowing data modification operations. This represents a critical access control weakness that undermines the security model of WordPress installations relying on this plugin.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of capability checks within the tc_csca_patch_settings function, which processes updates to the country-state-city database entries. An attacker with subscriber-level privileges or higher can exploit this weakness to inject new states or cities into the dropdown system without proper authorization. This misconfiguration allows for unauthorized modification of the plugin's data structure, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate form data or create misleading geographical selections. The vulnerability exists across all versions up to and including 2.7.1, indicating a prolonged period during which this security gap remained unaddressed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it creates potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker could use this capability to introduce malicious entries that might confuse users or interfere with legitimate form processing. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the dropdown data and could potentially be leveraged in combination with other attack vectors to compromise the overall security posture of a WordPress site. This weakness particularly concerns administrators who may not regularly audit plugin permissions and capabilities, leaving their sites vulnerable to insider threats or compromised user accounts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-3520 should begin with immediate plugin updates to versions that address the missing capability check. System administrators must also implement proper access controls and regularly audit user permissions to prevent unauthorized modifications. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts, as it allows attackers with legitimate user credentials to escalate their privileges within the plugin's functionality. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual data modification patterns in form-related plugins to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and adherence to the principle of least privilege should be enforced to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components of the web application stack.