CVE-2024-11024
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to reset any user's password in WordPress sites using the AppPresser plugin, leading to account takeover and privilege escalation. All WordPress sites with AppPresser plugin versions up to 4.4.6 are affected. Attackers only need knowledge of a user's email address to exploit this flaw.
💻 Affected Systems
- AppPresser – Mobile App Framework WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
Apppresser by Apppresser
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site compromise through administrator account takeover, leading to data theft, malware injection, defacement, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to user accounts, privilege escalation to administrative roles, and potential data exfiltration from compromised accounts.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if strong authentication controls, monitoring, and network segmentation are in place to detect and contain unauthorized access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only knowledge of a user's email address and basic HTTP request manipulation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.4.7 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3192531/apppresser
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find AppPresser plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update is available. 5. Alternatively, download version 4.4.7+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable AppPresser Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patching is possible
wp plugin deactivate apppresser
Restrict Password Reset Endpoints
linuxUse web application firewall or .htaccess to block unauthorized access to password reset functionality
# Add to .htaccess: RewriteRule ^wp-content/plugins/apppresser.* - [F,L]
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strong password policies and multi-factor authentication for all user accounts
- Monitor authentication logs for unusual password reset attempts and account lockouts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → AppPresser version. If version is 4.4.6 or lower, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get apppresser --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm AppPresser plugin version is 4.4.7 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed password reset attempts from same IP
- Successful password resets without prior failed attempts
- User account logins from unusual locations after password reset
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=appp_reset_password
- Unusual spikes in traffic to password reset endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("appp_reset_password" OR "password reset" OR "lostpassword")