CVE-2024-12922
📋 TL;DR
The Altair WordPress theme has a critical vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to modify WordPress site options without permission. This can be exploited to change user registration settings to grant administrative privileges, enabling complete site takeover. All WordPress sites using Altair theme versions up to 5.2.4 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Altair WordPress Theme
⚠️ 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 compromise where attackers gain administrative access, install backdoors, steal data, deface the site, or use it for further attacks.
Likely Case
Attackers create administrator accounts and take control of the WordPress site, potentially leading to data theft, malware distribution, or ransomware deployment.
If Mitigated
With proper monitoring and detection, unauthorized changes can be identified and reverted before significant damage occurs.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP POST requests can trigger the vulnerability. No authentication or special conditions required.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.2.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://themeforest.net/item/tour-travel-agency-altair-theme/9318575#item-description__changelog
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Appearance > Themes. 3. Check for Altair theme update notification. 4. Click 'Update Now' for Altair theme. 5. Verify theme version is 5.2.5 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Altair Theme
allSwitch to a different WordPress theme temporarily until patched
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock requests to vulnerable functions.php endpoints
Block POST requests to: /wp-content/themes/altair/functions.php
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable user registration entirely in WordPress settings
- Implement strict network access controls to limit theme file access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Appearance > Themes > Altair theme details for version number. If version is 5.2.4 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check WordPress admin panel or inspect theme's style.css file for Version: lineVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify theme version shows 5.2.5 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-content/themes/altair/functions.php
- Sudden creation of new administrator accounts
- Changes to WordPress options like default_role or users_can_register
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to theme files from unexpected sources
- Traffic patterns showing exploitation attempts
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-content/themes/altair/functions.php" OR message="user registration" OR message="default_role")