CVE-2024-6641 in WP Hardening Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2024
The WP Hardening – Fix Your WordPress Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Security Feature Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.6. This is due to use of an incorrect regular expression within the "Stop User Enumeration" feature. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to bypass intended security restrictions and expose site usernames.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2024
The WP Hardening plugin for WordPress presents a critical security vulnerability classified as CVE-2024-6641, affecting all versions up to and including 1.2.6. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's "Stop User Enumeration" feature, which is designed to prevent attackers from discovering valid WordPress usernames through various enumeration techniques. The flaw represents a security feature bypass that undermines the core purpose of the protection mechanism, creating a significant risk for WordPress sites that rely on this plugin for security hardening. The vulnerability stems from improper implementation of regular expression patterns that fail to adequately validate or restrict user enumeration attempts, allowing malicious actors to circumvent the intended security controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves an incorrect regular expression that fails to properly sanitize or validate input parameters used in user enumeration detection. This misconfiguration enables unauthenticated attackers to exploit the plugin's own protection mechanisms to extract user information from the WordPress installation. The flaw operates at the application level and directly impacts the authentication and authorization controls that WordPress relies upon for user account security. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-284 Access Control Bypass, as it allows unauthorized access to user enumeration functionality that should be restricted. The issue creates a pathway for attackers to gather intelligence about valid usernames, which can then be used for targeted attacks including brute force attempts, credential stuffing, or social engineering operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-6641 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exposure of valid usernames creates a foundation for more sophisticated attack vectors. Attackers can leverage the leaked username information to conduct targeted credential guessing attacks, potentially compromising user accounts through dictionary attacks or rainbow table lookups. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security posture of WordPress installations that depend on this plugin, as it essentially turns the security feature into a tool for reconnaissance rather than protection. This weakness can be exploited through various attack vectors including direct URL manipulation, API endpoint probing, or automated enumeration tools that take advantage of the flawed regular expression logic. The impact is particularly severe in environments where user enumeration is a primary target for attackers, as this vulnerability directly undermines the security controls designed to prevent such reconnaissance activities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-6641 require immediate attention from WordPress administrators and security teams. The most effective solution involves updating the WP Hardening plugin to the latest available version that addresses this specific vulnerability, as the issue has been resolved in subsequent releases. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures such as rate limiting for authentication attempts, implementing strong CAPTCHA mechanisms, and monitoring for unusual access patterns that may indicate enumeration attempts. Security teams should consider implementing web application firewalls with rules specifically designed to block user enumeration patterns, and conduct regular security audits to identify similar misconfigurations in other security plugins or custom code implementations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as it enables attackers to obtain valid account information that can then be used for further compromise. Organizations should also review their overall security posture and ensure that multiple layers of defense are implemented to prevent attackers from leveraging such information disclosure vulnerabilities for broader system compromise.