CVE-2024-49682 in Simple Membership Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/24/2024
URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect') vulnerability in wp.insider Simple Membership simple-membership allows Phishing.This issue affects Simple Membership: from n/a through <= 4.5.3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2026
The CVE-2024-49682 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw within the wp.insider Simple Membership plugin, specifically impacting versions ranging from the initial release through version 4.5.3. This security weakness enables malicious actors to exploit the plugin's URL redirection functionality, creating a dangerous pathway for phishing attacks and user deception. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of redirect URLs, allowing attackers to craft malicious links that appear legitimate while directing users to unauthorized external domains. The issue resides in the plugin's handling of user input within redirect parameters, where proper sanitization and validation mechanisms are absent or inadequate.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate redirect URLs through crafted input parameters, bypassing normal security controls that should prevent redirection to untrusted domains. When users encounter these malicious redirects, they may be tricked into believing they are navigating to legitimate plugin pages while actually being directed to attacker-controlled websites. This creates an ideal environment for credential harvesting, malware distribution, and other phishing-related attacks. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's authentication and membership redirection flows, where users might be redirected after login attempts, membership registration, or password reset operations.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses significant risks to both end users and website administrators. Users may unknowingly provide sensitive information to phishing sites, while administrators face potential reputational damage and compliance violations. The attack surface expands due to the plugin's widespread usage, potentially affecting numerous websites that implement the Simple Membership solution. The vulnerability can be exploited through various vectors including social engineering campaigns, compromised website pages, or direct user interaction with malicious links. Security teams must consider the potential for cascading effects when multiple plugins or website components interact with the vulnerable redirect functionality.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the Simple Membership plugin to version 4.5.4 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should implement network-level restrictions to prevent access to known malicious domains and establish monitoring for suspicious redirect patterns. Input validation and sanitization should be strengthened across all plugin components that handle user-provided URL parameters. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-601 Open Redirect and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 Phishing, highlighting the importance of validating all external redirects and implementing proper access controls. Additionally, security headers such as Content Security Policy should be configured to restrict redirect behaviors and prevent unauthorized domain redirection. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other plugins or website components, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar open redirect vulnerabilities.