CVE-2024-5149 in BuddyForms Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/05/2024
The BuddyForms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Email Verification Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.9 via the use of an insufficiently random activation code. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to bypass the email verification.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-5149 affects the BuddyForms plugin for WordPress, a popular tool used for creating custom forms and user registration systems within WordPress environments. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the plugin's email verification mechanism that undermines the fundamental security assumptions of user authentication processes. The vulnerability specifically targets the activation code generation process, which serves as a crucial barrier to prevent unauthorized access and account creation. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 2.8.9, indicating a widespread issue that has affected numerous WordPress installations using this plugin. The security implications are severe as email verification serves as a primary defense against automated account creation and potential abuse of the registration system.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient randomness of the activation code generation algorithm used by the BuddyForms plugin. This weakness falls under CWE-330, which specifically addresses the use of insufficiently random values in security-sensitive contexts. When activation codes lack proper entropy and randomness, they become predictable or guessable, allowing attackers to calculate or brute-force valid activation tokens. The implementation likely uses weak pseudorandom number generators or predictable sequences that do not meet cryptographic security standards. This vulnerability enables unauthenticated attackers to bypass the email verification process entirely, essentially allowing them to create or activate user accounts without proper email confirmation. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no prior authentication or access to valid email addresses, making it an attractive target for automated exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple account creation bypass. Attackers can exploit this weakness to flood systems with fake user accounts, potentially leading to denial of service conditions, spam generation, or abuse of plugin features. The bypass mechanism undermines the integrity of user registration processes and can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks such as account takeover attempts or credential stuffing operations. Organizations relying on BuddyForms for user management, membership systems, or community platforms face significant risks as this vulnerability can be exploited at scale without requiring any specialized knowledge or access credentials. The vulnerability particularly affects WordPress sites that depend on email verification as a security control, making it a critical concern for any system where user authentication and access control are paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-5149 must prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the insufficient randomness issue in activation code generation. System administrators should also implement additional security controls such as rate limiting for registration requests, CAPTCHA mechanisms, and enhanced monitoring for suspicious account creation patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of cryptographic best practices in security-sensitive applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers social engineering through credential harvesting. Organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication for critical user accounts and review their registration workflows to ensure proper validation mechanisms are in place. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of all WordPress plugins and themes to identify similar weaknesses in random number generation or token creation processes, as this represents a common pattern in web application security vulnerabilities that affects numerous software components beyond just the BuddyForms plugin.