CVE-2024-11917: Authentication Bypass Vulnerability in JobSearch WP Job Board Plugin

Overview

This blog post aims to shed light on a critical vulnerability, CVE-2024-11917, which affects the JobSearch WP Job Board plugin for WordPress. This plugin is widely used for managing job listings on WordPress websites, and hence, such vulnerabilities could potentially impact a significant number of users. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass the usual authentication process, enabling them to log in as a connected Xing or Google user. This could lead to unauthorized system access, potential data leaks, and other malicious activities.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-11917
Severity: High (Score 8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

JobSearch WP Job Board Plugin | Up to 2.8.8

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability lies in the ‘jobsearch_xing_response_data_callback’, ‘set_access_tokes’, and ‘google_callback’ functions of the plugin. Due to an improper configuration, it is possible for unauthenticated attackers to bypass the regular authentication process. They can log in as the first connected Xing user, or any connected Xing user if the Xing id is known. Also, if the Google user has been logged in for thirty days without logging out, the attackers can log in as the first connected Google user.

Conceptual Example Code

In a hypothetical scenario, an attacker might exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted HTTP request like the one below:

POST /wp-login.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
username=first_connected_xing_user&password=&rememberme=forever&wp-submit=Log+In

In the above example, `first_connected_xing_user` is the username of the first connected Xing user. Since the plugin doesn’t properly validate the credentials, it allows the attacker to log in without any password.

Mitigation Guidance

To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible. The vulnerability was partially patched in version 2.8.4. As a temporary measure, users can also use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and block suspicious activities. However, these measures can only provide temporary relief and may not entirely prevent potential exploits. Hence, applying the vendor patch is the most recommended solution.