CVE-2024-11585
📋 TL;DR
The WP Hide & Security Enhancer WordPress plugin has a vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files on the server due to missing authorization checks and insufficient file path validation. This affects all WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 2.5.1, potentially causing site disruption or data loss.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Hide & Security Enhancer 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 site destruction through deletion of critical WordPress core files, database files, or configuration files, leading to permanent data loss and extended downtime.
Likely Case
Attackers delete wp-config.php or other critical files, causing site outage and requiring restoration from backups.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper file permissions and web application firewalls are in place to block unauthorized file operations.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability is simple to exploit with publicly available technical details, requiring only HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.5.2
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3157948/wp-hide-security-enhancer/trunk/router/file-process.php
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find WP Hide & Security Enhancer. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update to version 2.5.2+. 5. Verify the plugin is active and functioning.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily disable the WP Hide & Security Enhancer plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate wp-hide-security-enhancer
Block access to vulnerable endpoint
linuxAdd web server rules to block access to /wp-content/plugins/wp-hide-security-enhancer/router/file-process.php
# Apache: <LocationMatch "\/file-process\.php$">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</LocationMatch>
# Nginx: location ~* /file-process\.php$ { deny all; }
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately disable the WP Hide & Security Enhancer plugin completely
- Implement strict file permissions (644 for files, 755 for directories) and monitor for unauthorized file modifications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if /wp-content/plugins/wp-hide-security-enhancer/router/file-process.php exists and examine the plugin version in WordPress admin or via wp plugin list --field=version --name=wp-hide-security-enhancerCheck Version:
wp plugin list --field=version --name=wp-hide-security-enhancerVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 2.5.2 or higher using wp plugin list --field=version --name=wp-hide-security-enhancer or check WordPress admin plugins page📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /wp-content/plugins/wp-hide-security-enhancer/router/file-process.php with file deletion parameters
- Unexpected file deletion events in system logs
- 404 errors for critical WordPress files
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to the vulnerable endpoint from unauthenticated sources
- Multiple rapid requests to file-process.php
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND (uri_path="/wp-content/plugins/wp-hide-security-enhancer/router/file-process.php" OR uri_path CONTAINS "file-process.php") AND http_method="POST"