CVE-2024-11295
📋 TL;DR
The Simple Page Access Restriction WordPress plugin exposes sensitive content through WordPress's built-in search feature. Unauthenticated attackers can access posts restricted to logged-in users or higher roles. All WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 1.0.29 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Simple Page Access Restriction WordPress Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete exposure of all restricted content including private posts, confidential information, or internal communications to the public internet.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users accessing restricted posts containing sensitive operational data, draft content, or member-only information.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure if few restricted posts exist or content sensitivity is low, but still violates access control policies.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only WordPress search functionality and knowledge of search terms that might appear in restricted content.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.0.30
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3205648/simple-page-access-restriction
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Simple Page Access Restriction. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 1.0.30+ from WordPress.org and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WordPress Search
allTemporarily disable WordPress core search functionality to prevent exploitation.
Add to wp-config.php: define('DISABLE_SEARCH', true);
Deactivate Plugin
linuxRemove the vulnerable plugin entirely until patched.
wp plugin deactivate simple-page-access-restriction
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove all restricted content or move to alternative access control method
- Implement web application firewall rules to block search queries targeting restricted content
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins. If version is 1.0.29 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get simple-page-access-restriction --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version shows 1.0.30 or higher. Test search functionality with known restricted content to confirm access is properly blocked.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual search query patterns, especially from unauthenticated users
- Access to restricted post IDs via search results
Network Indicators:
- HTTP GET requests to /?s= containing terms from restricted content
- Search parameter manipulation attempts
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (uri_path="/" AND query="*s=*") AND user="-"