CVE-2024-11916
📋 TL;DR
The WP Extended WordPress plugin has a missing capability check vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access or higher to import and activate arbitrary code snippets. This enables unauthorized modification and retrieval of data on affected WordPress sites. All WordPress installations using WP Extended plugin versions up to 3.0.11 are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit – WP Extended
📦 What is this software?
Wp Extended by Wpextended
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain full control of WordPress site through arbitrary code execution, leading to complete compromise, data theft, defacement, or malware distribution.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious code snippets to create backdoors, steal sensitive data, or redirect visitors to malicious sites.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact limited to unauthorized code snippet activation detection and remediation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access but only subscriber-level privileges needed. Exploitation involves API calls to vulnerable functions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.0.12 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3213331%40wpextended&new=3213331%40wpextended&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit – WP Extended'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 3.0.12+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WP Extended Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate wpextended
Restrict User Registration
WordPressDisable new user registration to prevent attacker account creation
Settings → General → Membership: Uncheck 'Anyone can register'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and monitor user activity logs
- Use web application firewall to block suspicious API requests to WP Extended endpoints
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WP Extended plugin version in WordPress admin panel under Plugins → Installed PluginsCheck Version:
wp plugin get wpextended --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 3.0.12 or higher and test that subscriber users cannot import/activate code snippets📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action parameters related to WP Extended
- User with subscriber role performing administrative actions
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to WP Extended API endpoints from non-admin users
- Unexpected code snippet imports via plugin interfaces
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php") AND (user_role="subscriber" OR user_role="contributor") AND (action="wpextended_*" OR plugin="wpextended")