CVE-2024-5943 – This Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerab... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-5943?

CVE-2024-5943 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Nested Pages WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary PHP files on affected WordPress sites. Attackers can trick administrators into clicking malicious links that trigger unauthorized actions. All WordPress sites using Nested Pages plugin versions up to 3.2.7 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Nested Pages WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary PHP files on affected WordPress sites. Attackers can trick administrators into clicking malicious links that trigger unauthorized actions. All WordPress sites using Nested Pages plugin versions up to 3.2.7 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

WordPress Nested Pages Plugin

Versions: All versions up to and including 3.2.7

Operating Systems: All

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires WordPress administrator to be tricked into clicking malicious link while authenticated.

📦 What is this software?

Nested Pages by Kylephillips

View all CVEs affecting Nested Pages →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete site compromise through arbitrary PHP file execution, leading to data theft, malware installation, or site defacement.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized configuration changes, plugin settings modification, or limited file execution within plugin context.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if proper CSRF protections are in place or plugin is updated.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires social engineering to trick authenticated administrators.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 3.2.8 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3111847/

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Nested Pages plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 3.2.8+ from WordPress plugin repository and manually update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Temporary Plugin Deactivation

all

Disable the Nested Pages plugin until patched

wp plugin deactivate wp-nested-pages

CSRF Protection Enhancement

all

Implement additional CSRF protection at web application firewall level

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict plugin access to trusted administrators only
Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Nested Pages version. If version is 3.2.7 or lower, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin get wp-nested-pages --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify Nested Pages plugin version is 3.2.8 or higher in WordPress admin panel.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin.php?page=nested-pages-settings
Multiple failed CSRF token validations

Network Indicators:

HTTP requests with suspicious 'tab' parameters to plugin settings endpoints

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND (uri="/wp-admin/admin.php" AND query="page=nested-pages-settings")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-5943

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-352

Published: July 4, 2024

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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