CVE-2024-31294
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WP Sort Order WordPress plugin that allows unauthorized users to perform actions intended only for administrators. It affects all versions up to and including 1.3.1. WordPress sites using this vulnerable plugin are at risk of unauthorized data manipulation.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Sort Order WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Wp Sort Order by Androidbubble
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could modify sort order settings, potentially disrupting site functionality or manipulating content display in ways that could lead to business impact or data integrity issues.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users could change post/page ordering settings, causing content display issues that require administrative intervention to fix.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and authentication checks, only authorized administrators can modify sort order settings, preventing unauthorized changes.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires some level of access but not administrative privileges. The vulnerability is in authorization checks rather than authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 1.3.1
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-sort-order/wordpress-wp-sort-order-plugin-1-3-1-broken-access-control-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find WP Sort Order plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update available, deactivate and remove plugin until patched version is released.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the WP Sort Order plugin to prevent exploitation
wp plugin deactivate wp-sort-order
Restrict Access via .htaccess
linuxAdd access restrictions to plugin directories
# Add to .htaccess in wp-content/plugins/wp-sort-order/
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls at the web server level to restrict access to plugin functionality
- Monitor for unauthorized changes to sort order settings and implement change detection alerts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for WP Sort Order version 1.3.1 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get wp-sort-order --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify WP Sort Order plugin version is higher than 1.3.1 or plugin is removed📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized POST requests to wp-sort-order endpoints
- Changes to sort order settings from non-admin users
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to /wp-content/plugins/wp-sort-order/ from unauthorized IPs
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "wp-sort-order" AND ("POST" OR "action") AND NOT user_role="administrator"