CVE-2024-13738
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary WordPress shortcodes in the Motors WordPress theme. Attackers can potentially inject malicious code or access restricted functionality. All WordPress sites using Motors theme versions up to 5.6.65 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Motors - Car Dealer, Rental & Listing 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
Remote code execution leading to complete site compromise, data theft, or malware injection
Likely Case
Content injection, privilege escalation, or unauthorized access to restricted functionality
If Mitigated
Limited impact if shortcode execution is restricted by other security controls
🎯 Exploit Status
Attack requires no authentication and shortcode execution is straightforward
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 5.6.65
Vendor Advisory: https://stylemixthemes.com/motors/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Motors theme to latest version via WordPress admin panel
2. Verify theme version is greater than 5.6.65
3. Clear any caching plugins or CDN caches
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable endpoint
allBlock access to the vulnerable action endpoint via .htaccess or web server config
# Add to .htaccess: RewriteRule ^wp-admin/admin-ajax\.php.*action=stm_ajax_add_review - [F]
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Temporarily disable or switch to default WordPress theme
- Implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious shortcode execution attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Appearance > Themes for Motors theme version ≤5.6.65Check Version:
wp theme list --field=name,version --path=/path/to/wordpressVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm theme version >5.6.65 and test shortcode execution functionality📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to admin-ajax.php with stm_ajax_add_review action
- Multiple shortcode execution attempts in WordPress debug logs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests containing shortcode payloads to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "stm_ajax_add_review" AND "do_shortcode"