CVE-2024-37482

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-37482 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress plugin The Post Grid by RadiusTheme, affecting versions from n/a through 7.7.4. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to exploit missing authorization checks, potentially leading to unauthorized access to certain plugin functionalities. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium), with an EPSS score of 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood currently. No public proof-of-concept or patch is available at this time.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository. Users are advised to monitor for updates from RadiusTheme and apply patches as soon as they become available. Since no patch is currently released, consider disabling the plugin or implementing strict access controls.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 4.3 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: Low
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: None
• Availability Impact: None

The threat level is Medium due to the low attack complexity and network accessibility, but the impact is limited to low confidentiality loss.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks in the plugin's REST API endpoints or AJAX handlers. Specifically, the plugin fails to verify that the current user has the necessary capabilities (e.g., edit_posts, manage_options) before executing sensitive operations. This allows authenticated users with subscriber-level or contributor-level access to perform actions intended for administrators or editors.

The affected component is likely the plugin's grid builder or post query functionality, where user-supplied data is processed without proper capability checks. An attacker could exploit this to view or modify non-public post data, access draft posts, or manipulate plugin settings.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the vulnerable code pattern is described below. A patched version would include proper capability checks.

Vulnerable Code (hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_tpg_get_posts', 'tpg_get_posts_callback');
function tpg_get_posts_callback() {
    // No capability check
    $post_id = $_POST['post_id'];
    $post = get_post($post_id);
    echo json_encode($post);
    wp_die();
}

Patched Code (hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_tpg_get_posts', 'tpg_get_posts_callback');
function tpg_get_posts_callback() {
    if (!current_user_can('edit_posts')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
    }
    $post_id = $_POST['post_id'];
    $post = get_post($post_id);
    echo json_encode($post);
    wp_die();
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

1. Prerequisites: A WordPress site with The Post Grid plugin version <= 7.7.4, and an authenticated user account with subscriber or contributor role.
2. Exploitation Steps:
   • Log in with the low-privilege account.
   • Identify vulnerable endpoints by inspecting plugin AJAX actions (e.g., wp_ajax_tpg_*).
   • Craft a request to access restricted data, such as draft posts or plugin settings.
   • Example using cURL:

     curl -X POST 'http://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php' \
       -d 'action=tpg_get_posts&post_id=123' \
       --cookie 'wordpress_logged_in_xxx=...'
     

3. Expected Outcome: Unauthorized access to post data or plugin configuration.

Blue Team

1. Detection: Monitor for unusual AJAX requests from low-privilege users to plugin-specific actions.
2. Mitigation:
   • Disable the plugin until a patch is available.
   • Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block suspicious requests.
   • Restrict user roles and capabilities using a plugin like User Role Editor.
3. Hunting: Search logs for patterns like action=tpg_ from non-admin users.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=tpg_* parameters from low-privilege users.
• File: Unauthorized access to draft posts or private pages.
• Log: WordPress debug logs showing capability errors or unexpected AJAX calls.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_37482_The_Post_Grid_Missing_Auth {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts for CVE-2024-37482 in The Post Grid plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-37482"
    strings:
        $ajax_action = "action=tpg_" ascii wide nocase
        $wp_ajax = "wp_ajax_tpg_" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-37482 - The Post Grid Missing Authorization
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects exploitation attempts for CVE-2024-37482
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=tpg_'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin usage
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-37482 - The Post Grid Missing Authorization"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=tpg_"; http_client_body; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Disable The Post Grid plugin if not critical to operations.
2. Short-term: Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests containing action=tpg_ from non-admin users.
3. Long-term: Monitor the plugin's official page for a patched version (>= 7.7.5) and apply it promptly.
4. Workaround: Use a capability management plugin to restrict access to plugin features.

Valters IT
Senior DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert