CVE-2024-50423

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-50423 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Templately by WPDeveloper, affecting versions from n/a through 3.1.5. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or modification. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium) and an EPSS score of 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood at this time. No public proof-of-concept or patch details are currently available.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects the WordPress plugin ecosystem. Since Templately is distributed via the WordPress plugin repository, any site running version 3.1.5 or earlier is at risk. The lack of a patch from the vendor (WPDeveloper) means users must rely on manual mitigation or disabling the plugin until an update is released.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 5.4 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: None
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: Low
• Availability Impact: None

The vulnerability is exploitable remotely without authentication, making it a potential entry point for attackers. However, the low impact on confidentiality and integrity, combined with no availability impact, reduces the overall severity.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from a Missing Authorization check (CWE-862) in Templately's REST API endpoints or AJAX handlers. The plugin fails to verify that the current user has the necessary permissions before executing sensitive operations. This allows unauthenticated attackers to:

• Access or modify plugin settings
• Retrieve or delete stored data (e.g., templates, API keys)
• Perform actions intended only for administrators

The flaw is present in all versions up to and including 3.1.5. Since no patch is available, the exact vulnerable function is not publicly documented, but typical patterns involve missing current_user_can() checks in WordPress plugin code.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, we can only hypothesize the vulnerable code pattern. A typical missing authorization vulnerability in WordPress plugins looks like:

Vulnerable Code (example):

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_templately_save_template', 'templately_save_template');
function templately_save_template() {
    // No permission check
    $template_data = $_POST['template'];
    // Save template to database
    update_option('templately_template', $template_data);
}

Patched Code (hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_templately_save_template', 'templately_save_template');
function templately_save_template() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized');
    }
    $template_data = $_POST['template'];
    update_option('templately_template', $template_data);
}

The patched version would add a capability check (current_user_can('manage_options')) and remove the nopriv_ prefix to restrict access to authenticated administrators.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would:

1. Identify a WordPress site running Templately <= 3.1.5.
2. Send a crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=templately_save_template).
3. Include malicious payload in POST data to modify plugin settings or extract data.

Example exploit request (using curl):

curl -X POST http://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php \
  -d "action=templately_save_template&template=malicious_data"

Since no public exploit code exists, this is a generic example. The attacker would need to reverse-engineer the plugin to find the exact vulnerable endpoint.

Blue Team

To detect exploitation attempts:

1. Monitor for unusual AJAX requests to admin-ajax.php with action parameters starting with templately_.
2. Look for requests from unauthenticated users (no wpnonce or cookie) to admin-only actions.
3. Check for unexpected changes to wp_options table entries related to Templately.

Detection rule (Sigma):

title: Templately Missing Authorization Exploitation
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects unauthenticated AJAX requests to Templately endpoints
logsource:
  category: webserver
  product: apache
detection:
  selection:
    cs-method: POST
    c-uri|contains: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
    cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=templately_'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate admin actions (if authenticated)
level: medium

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=templately_* parameters from unauthenticated sources
  • Unusual outbound connections from the WordPress server to unknown IPs (if data exfiltration occurs)

• Host IOCs:

  • Modified wp_options entries with keys like templately_*
  • Unexpected files in /wp-content/plugins/templately/ directory
  • New admin users created (if privilege escalation is possible)

• File IOCs:

  • Suspicious entries in WordPress debug log (wp-content/debug.log)
  • Modified plugin files with timestamps outside normal update cycles

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_Templately_Missing_Auth {
  meta:
    description = "Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2024-50423 in Templately plugin"
    author = "Valters IT"
    date = "2025-04-10"
    hash = "d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e"
  strings:
    $ajax_action = "action=templately_" nocase
    $admin_ajax = "admin-ajax.php" nocase
    $post_method = "POST" nocase
  condition:
    all of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Templately Missing Authorization Exploitation
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects unauthenticated AJAX requests to Templately endpoints
logsource:
  category: webserver
  product: apache
detection:
  selection:
    cs-method: POST
    c-uri|contains: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
    cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=templately_'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate admin actions (if authenticated)
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-50423 Templately Missing Authorization Exploitation"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=templately_"; http_uri; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Since no official patch is available, the following mitigations are recommended:

1. Disable the plugin until a patch is released by WPDeveloper.
2. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block unauthenticated requests to admin-ajax.php with action=templately_* parameters.
3. Monitor logs for suspicious AJAX activity and block offending IPs.
4. Apply principle of least privilege to WordPress user roles.
5. Use a security plugin (e.g., Wordfence) to add additional access controls.

WAF rule example (ModSecurity):

SecRule REQUEST_URI "/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" "chain,id:1000001,deny,msg:'Templately Missing Authorization Exploitation'"
SecRule ARGS:action "^templately_" "t:none"

Valters IT This report was generated by an AI DevSecOps assistant. Verify all details before use.