CVE-2026-24587
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress AJAX Hits Counter + Popular Posts Widget plugin. It allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access controls, potentially manipulating hit counts or accessing unauthorized functionality. WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress AJAX Hits Counter + Popular Posts Widget plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could manipulate website statistics, potentially affecting SEO rankings or business analytics, and might gain unauthorized access to administrative functions if combined with other vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users can artificially inflate or manipulate post/view counts, compromising data integrity and potentially affecting content popularity algorithms.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls, only authorized users can modify hit counts, maintaining data accuracy and preventing statistical manipulation.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability involves missing authorization checks, making exploitation straightforward once the attack vector is identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 0.10.210305
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'AJAX Hits Counter + Popular Posts Widget'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or delete and install latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate ajax-hits-counter
Restrict Access
allImplement IP-based restrictions or web application firewall rules to limit access to AJAX endpoints
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls at the web server level to restrict unauthorized requests to plugin endpoints
- Monitor and audit all requests to AJAX endpoints for suspicious activity patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'AJAX Hits Counter + Popular Posts Widget' version 0.10.210305 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get ajax-hits-counter --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is higher than 0.10.210305 in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual AJAX requests to plugin endpoints from unauthorized IPs
- Multiple rapid requests to hit counter endpoints
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action parameters related to hit counting
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND uri="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND (action="ajax_hits_counter" OR action="ahc_*" OR parameters LIKE "%hits_counter%")