CVE-2024-5932 in GiveWP Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2024
The GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.14.1 via deserialization of untrusted input from the 'give_title' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. The additional presence of a POP chain allows attackers to execute code remotely, and to delete arbitrary files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-5932 affects the GiveWP donation plugin for WordPress, a widely used fundraising platform that has been compromised through a critical PHP object injection flaw. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 3.14.1, making it a significant risk for any WordPress site utilizing this plugin. The security flaw stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the plugin's handling of user-supplied data, specifically the 'give_title' parameter that is processed through PHP's unserialize function without adequate security measures.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the deserialization of untrusted input, which represents a well-documented attack vector classified under CWE-502. When an attacker submits malicious data through the 'give_title' parameter, the plugin's code attempts to unserialize this data without proper validation, allowing an attacker to inject a malicious PHP object. This object injection creates a dangerous condition where the attacker's serialized data can be executed within the context of the web server process, bypassing normal security boundaries and potentially granting complete control over the affected system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables unauthenticated remote code execution capabilities that can be leveraged for various malicious activities. The presence of a POP (Property Object Pollution) chain within the vulnerability's exploitation mechanism significantly amplifies the attack surface by allowing attackers to chain multiple object manipulations together. This chaining capability enables sophisticated attacks that can lead to arbitrary file deletion, data exfiltration, and complete system compromise. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, modify website content, steal sensitive information, or use the compromised system as a launching point for further attacks within the network infrastructure.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to code injection and privilege escalation. The ability to execute code remotely without authentication represents a critical weakness that falls under the category of remote code execution attacks, while the file deletion capability corresponds to destructive attack patterns. Organizations using the GiveWP plugin should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the plugin, implementing proper input validation at the application level, and monitoring for suspicious activity. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect and block malicious serialization attempts, while regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in other components of the WordPress ecosystem.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and secure coding practices in web applications, particularly when dealing with serialization functions that can create dangerous execution paths. The flaw represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and input sanitization, where user-supplied data is not properly validated before being processed through potentially dangerous functions. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for security awareness and the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components to protect against known exploitation techniques that have been documented and made available to attackers through various security research channels and vulnerability databases.