CVE-2024-6420
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Hide My WP Ghost WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass login page hiding by exploiting the auth_redirect function. WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected, potentially exposing their hidden login pages to unauthorized access.
💻 Affected Systems
- Hide My WP Ghost WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain access to hidden WordPress login pages, enabling brute force attacks, credential theft, and potential site takeover if weak credentials are used.
Likely Case
Attackers discover and access the hidden login page, increasing the attack surface for brute force attempts and reconnaissance.
If Mitigated
With strong passwords, rate limiting, and additional authentication layers, impact is limited to exposing the login page location.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires knowledge of the hidden login URL or discovery through enumeration.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.2.02
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/dfda6577-81aa-4397-a2d6-1d736f9ebd44/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Hide My WP Ghost. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 5.2.02+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the Hide My WP Ghost plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate hide-my-wp-ghost
Restrict Login Page Access
linuxUse web server rules to restrict access to login page by IP.
# Apache: Order deny,allow\nDeny from all\nAllow from 192.168.1.0/24
# Nginx: allow 192.168.1.0/24;\ndeny all;
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strong password policies and enable two-factor authentication
- Deploy web application firewall rules to block unauthorized login attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins. If Hide My WP Ghost version is below 5.2.02, it's vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get hide-my-wp-ghost --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 5.2.02 or higher. Test that unauthenticated users cannot access the hidden login page.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed login attempts from new IPs
- Access to hidden login page by unauthenticated users
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to login page from diverse IP ranges
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri="/wp-login.php" OR uri="/hidden-login-path") AND status=200 AND user="-"