CVE-2024-4745 in Giveaways and Contests Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/10/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in RafflePress Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress.This issue affects Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress: from n/a through 1.12.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-4745 represents a critical authorization flaw within the RafflePress Giveaways and Contests plugin, specifically impacting versions prior to 1.12.4. This missing authorization issue stems from insufficient access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to perform administrative actions typically restricted to privileged personnel. The vulnerability manifests in the plugin's handling of user permissions and authentication checks, creating a pathway for malicious actors to bypass normal security controls and execute unauthorized operations. The affected plugin serves as a popular tool for creating and managing giveaway campaigns within wordpress environments, making this authorization gap particularly concerning for organizations relying on its functionality. Security researchers have identified that the vulnerability enables attackers to manipulate contest configurations, access sensitive data, and potentially compromise the integrity of giveaway operations without proper authentication credentials.
The technical implementation of this authorization flaw occurs at the application level where the plugin fails to properly validate user roles and permissions before executing sensitive operations. This weakness allows any authenticated user, regardless of their privilege level, to access administrative functions that should be restricted to administrators or specific authorized personnel. The vulnerability can be exploited through direct manipulation of api endpoints or by leveraging existing user sessions to perform unauthorized actions within the plugin's administrative interface. According to CWE classification, this represents a variant of CWE-285: Improper Authorization, which specifically addresses situations where applications fail to properly enforce access controls for protected resources. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and inadequate privilege checking mechanisms that are fundamental requirements for maintaining secure application boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate giveaway outcomes, modify contest rules, and access confidential participant data. Organizations using the affected plugin version face risks including compromised contest integrity, data exposure, and potential regulatory violations if participant information is accessed without proper authorization. The vulnerability could be exploited to alter prize distributions, manipulate entry counts, or even disable contest functionality entirely, causing significant operational disruption. From an attacker perspective, this flaw provides a low-effort pathway to gain administrative privileges within the plugin environment, making it particularly attractive for malicious actors seeking to exploit wordpress installations. The impact is amplified in environments where multiple users have access to the platform, as the vulnerability could be leveraged by any user with basic login credentials.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-4745 require immediate action to upgrade the affected plugin to version 1.12.4 or later, which contains the necessary authorization fixes. System administrators should also implement additional security measures including regular security audits, monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, and ensuring proper user role management within the wordpress installation. The remediation process should include verifying that all users have appropriate privilege levels and that access controls are properly enforced throughout the plugin's administrative interface. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level controls such as firewall rules to restrict access to administrative endpoints and employ web application firewalls to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing techniques, as attackers could potentially leverage compromised user accounts to exploit the authorization gap. Regular security patch management and vulnerability assessment procedures should be implemented to prevent similar issues from arising in other plugins or components of the wordpress ecosystem.