CVE-2024-12419
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary WordPress shortcodes through the CF7 WOW Styler plugin. Attackers can potentially inject malicious code, steal data, or compromise the WordPress site. All WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 1.7.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- CF7 WOW Styler 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 takeover through execution of malicious shortcodes that install backdoors, create admin users, or exfiltrate sensitive data.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious shortcodes to deface websites, redirect users to phishing sites, or steal session cookies and user data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and output encoding, but plugin functionality may still be disrupted.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability is straightforward to exploit as it requires no authentication and uses WordPress's built-in do_shortcode function.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cf7-styler/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Deactivate and delete the CF7 WOW Styler plugin
4. Find an alternative contact form styling solution
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allDeactivate the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation
wp plugin deactivate cf7-styler
Input Validation Filter
allAdd custom WordPress filter to validate shortcode input
Add to theme's functions.php: add_filter('pre_do_shortcode_tag', 'validate_shortcode_input', 10, 3);
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block suspicious shortcode patterns
- Restrict access to WordPress admin panel using IP whitelisting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'CF7 WOW Styler' version 1.7.0 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get cf7-styler --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin is either removed or updated to a version beyond 1.7.0 (when available)📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual shortcode execution patterns in WordPress debug logs
- Multiple failed shortcode execution attempts
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing unusual shortcode parameters to WordPress admin endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (shortcode="[exec" OR shortcode="[system" OR shortcode="[php")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cf7-styler/tags/1.6.9/admin/class-cf7-customizer-admin.php#L295
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cf7-styler/tags/1.6.9/admin/class-cf7-customizer-admin.php#L300
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cf7-styler/tags/1.6.9/admin/class-cf7-customizer-admin.php#L405
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/5d78ea71-5886-488e-a660-0dc25129a8b6?source=cve
