CVE-2024-39680 in Cooked Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/18/2024
Cooked is a recipe plugin for WordPress. The Cooked plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in versions up to, and including, 1.7.15.4 due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the AJAX action handler. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to trick users into performing an action they didn't intend to perform under their current authentication. This issue has been addressed in release version 1.8.0. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-39680 affects the Cooked recipe plugin for WordPress, a popular content management system extension used for recipe management and display. This plugin enables website administrators to create, manage, and display recipes with various formatting options and nutritional information. The vulnerability stems from a critical flaw in the plugin's implementation of cross-site request forgery protection mechanisms, specifically within its AJAX action handlers that process user interactions and administrative functions. The issue impacts all versions up to and including 1.7.15.4, representing a significant security risk for WordPress sites utilizing this plugin.
The technical flaw manifests as the absence or improper validation of nonce tokens within the plugin's AJAX endpoints. Nonces serve as cryptographic tokens that verify the authenticity of requests and prevent unauthorized actions from being executed on behalf of authenticated users. In this case, the plugin fails to properly validate these security tokens when processing AJAX requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to craft forged requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress system. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which defines Cross-Site Request Forgery as a weakness where an attacker can induce users to perform actions they did not intend to execute. The flaw allows attackers to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated users and the web application, potentially enabling unauthorized modifications to recipe content, user permissions, or other sensitive operations within the plugin's administrative interface.
The operational impact of this CSRF vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary actions with the privileges of authenticated users who interact with compromised sites. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to add, modify, or delete recipe entries, potentially injecting malicious content or altering existing recipes to include harmful links or scripts. The attack vector typically involves tricking users into visiting a malicious website or clicking on compromised links while maintaining an active session with the vulnerable WordPress site. This could result in unauthorized recipe modifications, data corruption, or even serve as a stepping stone for more extensive attacks within the compromised WordPress environment. The vulnerability affects both frontend and backend operations since the AJAX handlers are used for various user interactions and administrative functions within the plugin's ecosystem.
The security implications of this vulnerability are particularly concerning given the widespread adoption of WordPress and the Cooked plugin within culinary and food-related websites. The lack of workarounds means that site administrators cannot mitigate the risk without upgrading the plugin, which creates a window of exposure for potentially thousands of websites. Organizations using this plugin should immediately implement the recommended upgrade to version 1.8.0, which includes proper nonce validation mechanisms and addresses the CSRF vulnerability. The fix demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and authentication checks in web applications, particularly when handling user-submitted data through AJAX endpoints. This vulnerability also highlights the necessity of implementing robust security practices in WordPress plugins, including the consistent use of nonce tokens, proper request validation, and adherence to security best practices outlined in various security frameworks and standards. The incident underscores the critical need for continuous security monitoring and timely patch management in WordPress environments, as CSRF vulnerabilities can provide attackers with persistent access to vulnerable systems.