CVE-2024-10779

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-10779 is an information exposure vulnerability in the Cowidgets – Elementor Addons WordPress plugin, affecting all versions up to and including 1.2.0. The flaw resides in the ce_template shortcode, which fails to properly restrict which posts can be included. This allows authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher to extract data from private or draft posts created by Elementor that they should not have access to. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium) and an EPSS score of 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood at this time. No public proof-of-concept or patch is currently available.

WordPress Ecosystem Context

This vulnerability is specific to the WordPress plugin ecosystem. The ce_template shortcode is a custom shortcode provided by the Cowidgets plugin, and the issue arises from insufficient authorization checks when processing shortcode attributes. This is not a server-level vulnerability but a plugin-level access control bypass.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
• Base Score: 5.3 (Medium)
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: Low (Contributor-level access)
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (exposure of private/draft post content)
• Integrity Impact: None
• Availability Impact: None

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS score is moderate, the ability for authenticated users to leak private content from Elementor posts could lead to sensitive data disclosure, especially in multi-author environments.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the ce_template shortcode handler within the Cowidgets plugin. The shortcode is designed to embed Elementor templates (posts of type elementor_library) into pages. However, the code does not properly validate whether the current user has permission to view the specified post.

Root Cause: The shortcode likely uses get_post() or WP_Query without checking the post status or user capabilities. An attacker can supply a post ID or slug in the shortcode attribute (e.g., [ce_template id="123"]) to retrieve a private or draft post. The plugin then renders the Elementor content of that post, exposing it to the attacker.

Attack Flow:

1. Authenticate as a Contributor-level user.
2. Identify a private or draft Elementor post ID (e.g., via ID enumeration or by knowing the slug).
3. Insert the ce_template shortcode with the target post ID into a page or post the attacker can edit.
4. View the page to see the private content rendered.

Affected Component: ce_template shortcode in Cowidgets plugin (all versions <= 1.2.0).

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, we can only describe the vulnerable pattern.

Vulnerable Code (Hypothetical):

function cowidgets_ce_template_shortcode($atts) {
    $atts = shortcode_atts(array('id' => 0), $atts);
    $post = get_post($atts['id']);
    if ($post && $post->post_type == 'elementor_library') {
        // No capability check
        echo Elementor\Plugin::instance()->frontend->get_builder_content($post->ID);
    }
}

Patched Code (Expected):

function cowidgets_ce_template_shortcode($atts) {
    $atts = shortcode_atts(array('id' => 0), $atts);
    $post = get_post($atts['id']);
    if ($post && $post->post_type == 'elementor_library') {
        // Check if user can read the post
        if (current_user_can('read_post', $post->ID)) {
            echo Elementor\Plugin::instance()->frontend->get_builder_content($post->ID);
        }
    }
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• WordPress installation with Cowidgets plugin <= 1.2.0
• Contributor-level account or higher
• Knowledge of a private/draft Elementor post ID

Exploitation Steps:

1. Log in as a Contributor.
2. Create a new post or page.
3. Insert the shortcode: [ce_template id="TARGET_POST_ID"]
4. Publish or preview the post.
5. The private/draft Elementor content will be rendered.

Example:

// No exploit code available; manual shortcode injection is sufficient.

Blue Team (Detection & Hardening)

Detection:

• Monitor for shortcode usage in post content by low-privilege users.
• Look for ce_template shortcode with unusual id values (e.g., IDs that don't match published Elementor templates).

Hardening:

• Disable the ce_template shortcode via functions.php:

remove_shortcode('ce_template');

• Restrict Contributor-level users from using shortcodes via user role editor.
• Apply principle of least privilege: only allow Editors and Administrators to use Elementor shortcodes.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File: /wp-content/plugins/cowidgets/ (presence of vulnerable plugin)
• Shortcode: [ce_template id="*"] in post content
• Log Entry: WordPress audit logs showing shortcode usage by Contributor users
• Network: HTTP requests to pages containing the shortcode (no specific pattern)

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule cowidgets_ce_template_info_exposure {
    meta:
        description = "Detects vulnerable Cowidgets plugin with ce_template shortcode"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-01-01"
        reference = "CVE-2024-10779"
    strings:
        $shortcode = "ce_template"
        $func = "get_post"
        $elementor = "elementor_library"
    condition:
        all of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Cowidgets ce_template Shortcode Information Exposure
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects usage of ce_template shortcode by low-privilege users
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: application
    product: wordpress
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 1000  # Custom WordPress audit event
        UserRole: "contributor"
        PostContent|contains: "[ce_template"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use by Editors/Admins
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-10779 Cowidgets ce_template Shortcode Exploit"; flow:to_server,established; content:"[ce_template"; http_client_body; nocase; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the Cowidgets plugin until a patch is released.
2. Remove the ce_template shortcode via functions.php (see Blue Team section).
3. Audit all posts/pages for unauthorized shortcode usage.

Long-term Fix:

• Apply vendor patch when available.
• Upgrade to a patched version (currently unknown).
• Implement custom capability checks for shortcode handlers.

Workarounds:

• Use a security plugin to restrict shortcode usage by user role.
• Change Contributor role capabilities to disallow unfiltered_html (though this may break other functionality).

Valters IT
DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence