CVE-2024-11349
📋 TL;DR
The AdForest WordPress theme contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to log in as any user, including administrators, by exploiting improper identity verification in the sb_login_user_with_otp_fun() function. All WordPress sites using AdForest theme versions up to 5.1.6 are affected. This vulnerability enables complete site takeover without requiring credentials.
💻 Affected Systems
- AdForest WordPress Theme
📦 What is this software?
Adforest by Scriptsbundle
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of WordPress site with administrative access, allowing data theft, defacement, malware injection, and lateral movement to other systems.
Likely Case
Site takeover leading to data exfiltration, ransomware deployment, or SEO spam injection.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if strong network segmentation, web application firewalls, and monitoring are in place to detect and block exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending crafted requests to the vulnerable endpoint. No authentication or special privileges needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.1.7 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://themeforest.net/item/adforest-classified-wordpress-theme/19481695
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Appearance > Themes. 3. Check for AdForest theme update notification. 4. Update to version 5.1.7 or later. 5. Clear any caching plugins/CDN caches.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable AdForest Theme
allTemporarily switch to default WordPress theme until patch can be applied
Navigate to Appearance > Themes in WordPress admin, activate Twenty Twenty-Four or other default theme
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock requests to the vulnerable endpoint
Add WAF rule to block POST requests containing 'sb_login_user_with_otp_fun' in URL or parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate WordPress instance
- Enable detailed logging and monitoring for authentication events and failed login attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Appearance > Themes for AdForest theme version. If version is 5.1.6 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check WordPress admin panel or inspect theme files for version number in style.cssVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm AdForest theme version is 5.1.7 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual authentication events from unexpected IPs
- Multiple successful logins for different users from same source
- POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with sb_login_user_with_otp_fun parameter
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests containing 'sb_login_user_with_otp_fun' parameter
- Rapid succession of authentication attempts from single source
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (url="*admin-ajax.php*" AND parameters="*sb_login_user_with_otp_fun*")