CVE-2024-50424

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-50424 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Templately (developed 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 resides in the WordPress ecosystem and is not related to Apache or Nginx. As a WordPress plugin issue, it impacts sites using Templately for template management and cloud-based design.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is specific to the WordPress plugin ecosystem. The plugin is distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository and can be installed directly from the WordPress admin dashboard. No NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages are involved. The supply chain risk is limited to WordPress sites that have installed the vulnerable plugin version.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.5 (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 threat level is Medium due to the low complexity and no required privileges, but the impact is limited to low confidentiality and integrity loss.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a Missing Authorization (CWE-862) in the Templately plugin. The plugin fails to properly verify user permissions before executing certain actions, allowing unauthenticated attackers to access or modify resources that should be restricted. This is likely due to missing capability checks in REST API endpoints or AJAX handlers.

The flaw can be exploited by sending crafted HTTP requests to the WordPress site, bypassing authentication checks. The exact vulnerable endpoint is not publicly disclosed, but it likely involves template management or cloud synchronization features.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no official patch is available, the vulnerable code is presumed to be in the plugin's core files. A typical missing authorization vulnerability in WordPress plugins looks like:

Vulnerable Code (example):

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_templately_action', 'templately_handle_action');
function templately_handle_action() {
    // No permission check
    // Process request
}

Patched Code (expected):

add_action('wp_ajax_templately_action', 'templately_handle_action');
add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_templately_action', 'templately_handle_action');
function templately_handle_action() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized');
    }
    // Process request
}

The patch would add capability checks (e.g., current_user_can()) to ensure only authorized users can access the functionality.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

To exploit this vulnerability in a lab environment:

1. Set up a WordPress instance with Templately <= 3.1.5 installed and activated.
2. Identify the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=templately_action).
3. Send a crafted request without authentication:

   curl -X POST http://target/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php \
        -d "action=templately_action&param=value"
   

4. Observe unauthorized access to restricted data or functionality.

Blue Team

To detect exploitation:

• Monitor for unusual AJAX requests to admin-ajax.php with action parameters related to Templately.
• Look for requests from unauthenticated users to endpoints that should require authentication.
• Check logs for 403 errors followed by successful responses to the same endpoint.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=templately_* parameters from unauthenticated sources.
• File: Presence of unexpected template files or modifications in the WordPress uploads directory.
• Log: WordPress debug log entries showing unauthorized access attempts to Templately functions.
• System: Unusual database entries in wp_options or wp_postmeta related to Templately.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_50424_Templately_Missing_Auth {
    meta:
        description = "Detects missing authorization in Templately plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-50424"
    strings:
        $vuln_func = "wp_ajax_nopriv_templately" nocase
        $vuln_action = "templately_" nocase
    condition:
        $vuln_func or $vuln_action
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-50424 Templately Missing Authorization
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2024-50424
author: Valters IT
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
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (
    msg:"CVE-2024-50424 Templately Missing Authorization Attempt";
    flow:to_server;
    content:"POST"; http_method;
    content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri;
    content:"action=templately_"; http_client_body;
    classtype:attempted-admin;
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

• Immediate: Disable the Templately plugin until a patch is available.
• Workaround: Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to admin-ajax.php with action=templately_* parameters from unauthenticated users.
• Long-term: Monitor the WPDeveloper website for an official patch and update to the latest version once released.
• Hardening: Ensure WordPress is updated to the latest version and follow least privilege principles for user roles.

Report generated by Valters IT DevSecOps & CTI Division