CVE-2024-1136: Unauthorized Access Vulnerability in Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode Plugin for WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) for creating and managing websites. It's essential to keep your WordPress site safe and secure by using reliable plugins and updating them regularly. One such plugin, the Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode, however, has a vulnerability in all versions up to and including 2.2.1. In this post, we will explore this vulnerability (CVE-2024-1136), which allows unauthorized access to data, and the potential risks it poses to your WordPress site.

Vulnerability Description

The Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode plugin for WordPress has a security vulnerability due to an insufficient URL check in the wpsm_coming_soon_redirect function. As a result, this vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to view the site's content even when maintenance mode or coming-soon mode is enabled.

Exploit Details

This vulnerability lies in the wpsm_coming_soon_redirect function of the affected plugin, where it improperly checks for URL requests. Here's a code snippet from the vulnerable function:

function wpsm_coming_soon_redirect() {
  if ( ! is_user_logged_in() && ! is_admin() && $GLOBALS['pagenow'] !== 'wp-login.php' ) {
    $cs_page_id = get_option('wpsm_mmr_plugin_activation_status');
    if(is_numeric($cs_page_id)){
      $cs_page_permalink = get_permalink($cs_page_id);
      ...
      if ( ! is_page( $cs_page_id ) ) {
        wp_redirect( $cs_page_permalink, 302 );
      }
    }
  }
}
add_action( 'template_redirect', 'wpsm_coming_soon_redirect' );

The issue is primarily caused by insufficient URL checks because the function only checks if the user is logged in, whether the user is an admin, and whether the page is a login page.

Impact

This vulnerability could have serious consequences, as an attacker can easily view your website's content without authorization while it's in maintenance mode or coming-soon mode. This can lead to the exposure of sensitive data, potentially compromising your site's security and reputation.

Mitigation

To protect your WordPress site from potential risks posed by CVE-2024-1136, users of the affected plugin should:

1. Update your Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode plugin to version 2.2.2 or later, where this vulnerability has been fixed. You can do this by going to your WordPress admin dashboard, then navigating to *Plugins > Installed Plugins* and clicking on the "Update Now" link next to the affected plugin.

2. Regularly update all your WordPress plugins and themes to the latest versions to ensure a safe and secure environment for your site.

Original References

For more information on this vulnerability (CVE-2024-1136) and the Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode plugin, please consult the following resources:

- WordPress.org plugin page
- CVE-2024-1136 vulnerability details

Conclusion

In this post, we discussed CVE-2024-1136, a vulnerability found in the Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability allows unauthorized access to data, posing significant risks for affected website owners. By updating your plugin to the latest version and regularly maintaining your site's security, you can protect yourself from this vulnerability and maintain a safe online environment for your users.

Timeline

Published on: 02/28/2024 09:15:42 UTC
Last modified on: 02/28/2024 14:06:45 UTC