CVE-2024-37517
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Brainstorm Force Spectra WordPress plugin, allowing attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels. It affects Spectra plugin users from unspecified versions through 2.13.7, potentially enabling unauthorized access to restricted functionality.
💻 Affected Systems
- Brainstorm Force Spectra (Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg)
📦 What is this software?
Spectra by Brainstormforce
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could gain unauthorized administrative privileges, modify site content, or access sensitive data, leading to complete site compromise.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users may access or modify plugin-specific settings or content they shouldn't have permissions for, such as editing blocks or configurations.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and least privilege principles, impact is limited to minor unauthorized actions or no exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation likely requires some user interaction or authentication, but details are not publicly disclosed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.13.8 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/ultimate-addons-for-gutenberg/wordpress-spectra-plugin-2-13-7-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Spectra' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify update to version 2.13.8 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Spectra Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the plugin to prevent exploitation until patched.
wp plugin deactivate ultimate-addons-for-gutenberg
Restrict Access via Firewall
allUse a web application firewall (WAF) to block suspicious requests targeting Spectra endpoints.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict role-based access control (RBAC) to limit user permissions.
- Monitor logs for unauthorized access attempts and review user activity regularly.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the Spectra plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins; if version is 2.13.7 or lower, it is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get ultimate-addons-for-gutenberg --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm the plugin version is 2.13.8 or higher in the same location.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to Spectra-specific admin-ajax.php endpoints
- Failed authorization attempts in WordPress logs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action parameters related to Spectra
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND action="spectra_*")