CVE-2024-11848
📋 TL;DR
The NitroPack WordPress plugin has an authorization bypass vulnerability that allows authenticated users with subscriber-level access or higher to modify WordPress options. Attackers can change certain options to '1', potentially enabling features like user registration or causing denial of service. All WordPress sites using NitroPack version 1.17.0 or earlier are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- NitroPack 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
Attackers could enable user registration to create admin accounts, modify critical options causing site crashes, or enable debugging features that leak sensitive information.
Likely Case
Attackers with subscriber accounts could enable user registration to create additional accounts, modify plugin settings to degrade performance, or change site configurations causing minor disruptions.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact would be limited to minor configuration changes that could be quickly reverted.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but only at subscriber level, which is the lowest WordPress user role. The vulnerability is in an AJAX endpoint that lacks proper capability checks.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.17.1
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3211235/nitropack
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find NitroPack and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 1.17.1 or later.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable NitroPack Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the NitroPack plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate nitropack
Restrict User Registration
allDisable user registration in WordPress settings to prevent account creation abuse
wp option update users_can_register 0
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove subscriber-level access for untrusted users
- Implement web application firewall rules to block requests to nitropack_dismiss_notice_forever AJAX endpoint
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > NitroPack version. If version is 1.17.0 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get nitropack --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify NitroPack version shows 1.17.1 or later in WordPress plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=nitropack_dismiss_notice_forever
- WordPress option changes from users with subscriber role
- Unexpected user registration events
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to admin-ajax.php with nitropack_dismiss_notice_forever parameter
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "admin-ajax.php" AND "nitropack_dismiss_notice_forever"