CVE-2024-5087 in Minimal Coming Soon Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/08/2024
The Minimal Coming Soon – Coming Soon Page plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the validate_ajax, deactivate_ajax, and save_ajax functions in all versions up to, and including, 2.38. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to edit the license key, which could disable features of the plugin.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-5087 affects the Minimal Coming Soon – Coming Soon Page plugin for WordPress, representing a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security posture of affected systems. This issue stems from insufficient capability validation within three core administrative functions: validate_ajax, deactivate_ajax, and save_ajax. The flaw exists across all plugin versions up to and including 2.38, making it a widespread concern for WordPress administrators who have deployed this particular plugin. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, specifically highlighting the absence of proper privilege verification in function calls. Attackers exploiting this weakness can leverage their authenticated access to manipulate plugin configurations without proper authorization, creating potential vectors for service disruption or feature tampering.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level privileges or higher to modify critical plugin license information through AJAX requests. This unauthorized modification capability specifically targets the license key field, which serves as a critical control mechanism for plugin functionality. When an attacker successfully manipulates the license key, they can effectively disable premium features or alter plugin behavior in ways that may compromise the intended functionality of the coming soon page. The vulnerability demonstrates a clear failure in the plugin's access control design where the absence of capability checks means that any authenticated user can execute administrative functions regardless of their actual permission level. This architectural flaw directly violates the principle of least privilege and represents a significant deviation from secure coding practices recommended by industry standards such as the OWASP Top Ten.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-5087 extends beyond simple data modification, potentially enabling attackers to disrupt website functionality and compromise the integrity of the coming soon page implementation. Subscribers with access to the WordPress dashboard can exploit this vulnerability to disable essential plugin features, potentially causing confusion for site visitors or preventing proper maintenance of the coming soon page. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privilege escalation - attackers only need subscriber-level access, which is often more easily obtained than higher administrative privileges. This vulnerability can be exploited in conjunction with other attack vectors, such as credential theft or social engineering campaigns, making it a particularly dangerous flaw in the context of WordPress security. The potential for feature disabling or license manipulation creates scenarios where attackers could effectively render premium plugin functionality non-operational, impacting business continuity and user experience.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-5087 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the capability check deficiencies. Administrators should implement the principle of least privilege by ensuring that users have only the minimum necessary permissions to perform their required tasks. The WordPress security community should consider implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized AJAX requests targeting plugin administrative functions. Security hardening measures including input validation and output encoding should be applied to prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should also conduct regular security audits of installed plugins to identify similar authorization flaws. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper capability checks in web applications, particularly for AJAX endpoints that handle administrative functions. This issue demonstrates the critical need for security reviews during plugin development and underscores the necessity of implementing robust access control mechanisms. Given the nature of the vulnerability, patch management procedures should be prioritized to ensure timely remediation, and organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls or intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and credential access techniques, making it a significant concern for organizations seeking to maintain secure WordPress environments.