CVE-2024-9503 in Maintenance & Coming Soon Redirect Animation Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/20/2024
The Maintenance & Coming Soon Redirect Animation plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'wploti_add_whitelisted_roles_option', 'wploti_remove_whitelisted_roles_option', 'wploti_add_whitelisted_users_option', 'wploti_remove_whitelisted_users_option', and 'wploti_uploaded_animation_save_option' functions in all versions up to, and including, 2.1.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to modify certain plugin settings.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2024
The CVE-2024-9503 vulnerability affects the Maintenance & Coming Soon Redirect Animation plugin for WordPress, representing a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security posture of affected installations. This vulnerability stems from insufficient capability checks within the plugin's core functionality, specifically targeting five critical functions that handle user and role management within the plugin's configuration system. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 2.1.3, making it a widespread concern for WordPress administrators who have not yet updated their installations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers with minimal privileges to manipulate plugin settings that should be restricted to administrators only, creating a potential pathway for privilege escalation and unauthorized system modification.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of proper capability verification within the plugin's PHP functions that manage whitelisted roles and users, as well as animation upload configurations. Attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can exploit these unprotected endpoints to add or remove roles from whitelisted access lists, modify user permissions, and potentially alter animation settings that control the plugin's behavior. The vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege by failing to verify that the requesting user possesses appropriate administrative capabilities before executing sensitive operations. This flaw aligns with CWE-284, which addresses inadequate access control mechanisms, and represents a classic example of insufficient authorization checks in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as it creates opportunities for attackers to establish persistent access patterns within affected WordPress installations. An authenticated attacker could potentially use this vulnerability to grant themselves additional privileges within the plugin's configuration space, or to manipulate the plugin's redirect behavior to facilitate further attacks. The ability to modify whitelisted roles and users means that attackers could potentially allow themselves or other compromised accounts to bypass the maintenance or coming soon restrictions, effectively removing the security controls that the plugin was designed to provide. This vulnerability also creates potential for data integrity issues, as unauthorized modifications to plugin settings could lead to unexpected behavior or even system instability.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability through plugin updates to versions that include proper capability checks and authorization controls. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to the latest available version of the Maintenance & Coming Soon Redirect Animation plugin where the missing capability checks have been implemented. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring for suspicious plugin configuration changes and conducting thorough security audits of all installed WordPress plugins to identify similar authorization flaws. Network segmentation and access control measures can provide additional defense-in-depth layers, while regular security scanning of WordPress installations can help identify other potential vulnerabilities that may exist within the plugin ecosystem. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation in WordPress plugins and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which addresses valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to administrative functions.