CVE-2024-12447
📋 TL;DR
The Get Post Content Shortcode WordPress plugin has an Insecure Direct Object Reference vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher to read password-protected, private, draft, and pending posts. This occurs because the plugin doesn't properly validate user-controlled input in the 'post-content' shortcode. WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Get Post Content Shortcode 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 leak sensitive draft content, private communications, or embargoed information before publication, potentially causing reputational damage or competitive harm.
Likely Case
Malicious contributors or authors could read other users' unpublished content, violating content privacy and potentially stealing intellectual property.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to unauthorized content viewing without modification or deletion capabilities.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is technically simple once authenticated. The vulnerability is well-documented in security advisories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 0.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/get-post-content-shortcode/trunk/get-post-content-shortcode.php#L106
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Get Post Content Shortcode'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update available, deactivate and delete the plugin, then install version 0.5+ from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove Contributor Access
allTemporarily restrict Contributor role access until patching is complete
Disable Plugin
allDeactivate the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict user role management and audit all users with Contributor access or higher
- Enable detailed logging of post access and content retrieval activities for monitoring
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Get Post Content Shortcode. If version is 0.4 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get get-post-content-shortcode --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 0.5 or later in WordPress admin panel. Test that Contributor users cannot access restricted posts via shortcode.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual post content retrieval patterns by Contributor users
- Multiple failed attempts to access restricted posts via shortcode
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to WordPress with post-content shortcode parameters from unexpected sources
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (shortcode="post-content" OR plugin="get-post-content-shortcode") AND status=200 AND user_role="contributor"