CVE-2024-9634 in GiveWP Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/16/2024
The GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.16.3 via deserialization of untrusted input from the give_company_name parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. The additional presence of a POP chain allows attackers to achieve remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2024
The CVE-2024-9634 vulnerability affects the GiveWP donation plugin for WordPress, a widely used fundraising platform that processes donations and manages charitable campaigns. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that impacts all versions up to and including 3.16.3, making it accessible to attackers who can exploit the plugin without authentication. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the plugin's handling of user-supplied data, specifically targeting the give_company_name parameter which is processed through PHP's deserialization mechanism.
The technical flaw manifests as a PHP Object Injection vulnerability classified under CWE-502, where untrusted data from the give_company_name parameter is directly passed to the unserialize() function without proper validation or sanitization. When an attacker submits malicious serialized PHP objects through this parameter, the plugin's code executes the unserialize() function, which then reconstructs the PHP objects in memory. This deserialization process allows attackers to manipulate the object graph and potentially execute arbitrary code on the target system. The vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous when combined with a POP (Property Object Pollution) chain, which enables attackers to construct a chain of method calls that can lead to remote code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations using the GiveWP plugin. An unauthenticated attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the WordPress server, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This could result in data theft, website defacement, unauthorized donation processing, and the installation of backdoors or malware. The vulnerability affects not only the plugin's functionality but also the entire WordPress installation, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to escalate privileges and gain access to sensitive donor information, financial data, and administrative controls. Organizations relying on the plugin for fundraising activities face significant risks to their reputation and compliance with data protection regulations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-9634 should prioritize immediate patching of the GiveWP plugin to version 3.16.4 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. System administrators should also implement input validation measures to sanitize all user-supplied data before processing, particularly focusing on parameters that may be passed to unserialize() functions. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can help detect and block malicious requests targeting the vulnerable parameter. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security audits of their WordPress installations, review file permissions, and monitor server logs for suspicious activity. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to code injection and remote code execution, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security controls that address both application-level and infrastructure-level protections. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments should be part of the organization's ongoing security posture to prevent similar issues from occurring in other components of the web application stack.