CVE-2024-31252 – CVE-2024-31252 is a missing authorization vulne... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2024-31252 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the dFactory Responsive Lightbox WordPress plugin that allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions. This affects WordPress sites using Responsive Lightbox plugin versions up to 2.4.6. Attackers could potentially modify plugin settings or access restricted functionality without proper authentication.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

dFactory Responsive Lightbox WordPress Plugin

Versions: n/a through 2.4.6

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects WordPress installations with the Responsive Lightbox plugin installed and activated.

📦 What is this software?

Responsive Lightbox \& Gallery by Dfactory

View all CVEs affecting Responsive Lightbox \& Gallery →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Attackers could modify plugin configurations, potentially disrupting gallery functionality or enabling further exploitation through other vulnerabilities.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized users could change lightbox settings, affecting site appearance and user experience without site owner knowledge.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper authorization controls, only authenticated administrators could modify plugin settings, preventing unauthorized access.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: LOW

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires some WordPress knowledge but is relatively straightforward once the vulnerability is understood.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2.4.7 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/responsive-lightbox/wordpress-responsive-lightbox-gallery-plugin-2-4-6-broken-access-control-vulnerability

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find 'Responsive Lightbox'
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. Alternatively, download version 2.4.7+ from WordPress repository
6. Deactivate old version and upload new version
7. Activate updated plugin

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Temporary Plugin Deactivation

all

Deactivate the Responsive Lightbox plugin until patched

wp plugin deactivate responsive-lightbox

Access Restriction

linux

Restrict access to WordPress admin area using IP whitelisting

# Add to .htaccess for Apache:
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
# Add to nginx config:
location /wp-admin {
    allow 192.168.1.0/24;
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    deny all;
}

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Remove the Responsive Lightbox plugin completely if patching is not possible
Implement web application firewall rules to block unauthorized access to plugin endpoints

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins → Responsive Lightbox version

Check Version:

wp plugin get responsive-lightbox --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify plugin version is 2.4.7 or higher in WordPress admin panel

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unauthorized POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action parameters related to responsive_lightbox
Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful plugin setting changes

Network Indicators:

Unusual traffic to WordPress admin endpoints from unauthorized IP addresses
POST requests to lightbox-related endpoints without proper authentication headers

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND action="responsive_lightbox_*") AND NOT user_role="administrator"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-31252

CVSS v3 Score: 4.3 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CWE: CWE-862

Published: June 9, 2024

Last Updated: November 26, 2024

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2024-31252, you might also want to check these: