CVE-2024-9926 in Jetpack Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/07/2024
The Jetpack WordPress plugin does not have proper authorisation in one of its REST endpoint, allowing any authenticated users, such as subscriber to read arbitrary feedbacks data sent via the Jetpack Contact Form
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-9926 affects the Jetpack WordPress plugin, which is one of the most widely used plugins for WordPress websites. This security flaw resides in the plugin's REST API endpoints and represents a critical authorization bypass issue that undermines the fundamental security model of WordPress sites. The vulnerability specifically impacts the contact form functionality within Jetpack, which is commonly used by website administrators to collect user feedback and inquiries. When exploited, this vulnerability allows any authenticated user account to access sensitive data that should be restricted to administrators or authorized personnel only.
The technical implementation of this flaw stems from insufficient access control checks within the REST endpoint responsible for handling feedback data from contact forms. The endpoint fails to validate whether the requesting user has proper authorization levels to access the feedback data, creating a path for privilege escalation through unauthorized data access. This issue is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer, where authenticated users with minimal privileges can exploit the vulnerability without requiring additional credentials or elevated access rights. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the contact form module, which typically stores user-submitted information including personal details, messages, and potentially sensitive communication content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to website administrators and their users. Subscribers or low-privilege users can access all feedback data submitted through the Jetpack contact form, potentially exposing personal information, business communications, and other sensitive data that users may have shared with the website. This unauthorized access could lead to privacy violations, data breaches, and potential misuse of collected information. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure, as the vulnerability may enable attackers to gather intelligence about website visitors, business operations, or customer relationships. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where the contact form collects sensitive information such as personal identification details, financial information, or confidential business communications.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the Jetpack plugin where the vulnerability has been addressed. System administrators should also consider implementing additional access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts to contact form data. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which describes improper authorization issues in software systems, and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting through social engineering. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of all WordPress plugins and their REST API endpoints to identify similar authorization flaws, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation in web applications. The incident underscores the critical need for regular security assessments and prompt patch management to prevent exploitation of such authorization bypass vulnerabilities.