CVE-2024-11351
📋 TL;DR
The Restrict Content plugin for WordPress (versions up to 2.2.8) allows unauthenticated attackers to access sensitive content from posts restricted to higher-level roles like administrators through WordPress's core search functionality. This vulnerability exposes confidential information that should only be visible to privileged users. All WordPress sites using the vulnerable plugin versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Restrict Content 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
Attackers extract sensitive business information, confidential documents, or administrative credentials from restricted posts, leading to data breaches or further system compromise.
Likely Case
Unauthenticated users discover confidential content intended for administrators or premium members, potentially exposing internal communications or sensitive information.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, exposure is limited to non-critical information, but sensitive data remains at risk until patching.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires only standard WordPress search functionality; no special tools or authentication needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.2.9
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3201494/restricted-content
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Restrict Content' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. Alternatively, download version 2.2.9+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WordPress Search
allTemporarily disable WordPress core search functionality to prevent exploitation while planning update.
Add 'remove_action('wp_head', 'wp_oembed_add_discovery_links');' to theme functions.php or use search disable plugin
Restrict Search Access
linuxImplement IP-based restrictions or authentication requirements for search functionality.
Use .htaccess rules: 'Order Deny,Allow\nDeny from all\nAllow from 192.168.1.0/24' for search.php
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious search patterns targeting restricted content
- Temporarily disable the Restrict Content plugin and use alternative access control methods
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Restrict Content for version number; if version is 2.2.8 or lower, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=restrict-content --field=version (if WP-CLI installed)Verify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version shows 2.2.9 or higher in WordPress plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual search query patterns from unauthenticated users
- Multiple search requests for restricted content keywords
- Access to search.php with suspicious parameters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP GET requests to /?s=[restricted_content_keywords]
- Increased search traffic from single IP addresses
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/?s=" OR uri_path="/search/") AND user_agent NOT CONTAINS "bot" AND status_code=200