CVE-2024-11299: Memberpress Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2024-11299 Overview

CVE-2024-11299 affects the MemberPress plugin for WordPress, a membership management solution developed by Caseproof. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to extract sensitive content from posts restricted to higher-privileged roles such as administrator. All versions up to and including 1.11.37 are affected. The flaw resides in how MemberPress integrates with the WordPress core search feature, which fails to enforce role-based access controls on indexed restricted content. The vulnerability is categorized as Sensitive Information Exposure under [CWE-200].

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can read restricted post content over the network without user interaction, exposing administrator-only data through standard WordPress search queries.

Affected Products

Caseproof MemberPress plugin for WordPress (all versions up to and including 1.11.37)
WordPress sites using MemberPress for content restriction
Sites relying on MemberPress role-based post access controls

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-22 - CVE-2024-11299 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-11299

Vulnerability Analysis

MemberPress restricts post visibility based on membership rules and user roles. The plugin enforces access controls when posts are rendered through standard WordPress query paths. However, the WordPress core search feature returns content snippets that bypass these access checks. An unauthenticated visitor can issue search queries that surface excerpts and content from posts intended for administrator-level access only.

The vulnerability does not require authentication, user interaction, or elevated privileges. Attackers send crafted search requests over HTTP and parse the response for restricted content. The flaw impacts confidentiality only — integrity and availability remain unaffected. Sites using MemberPress to gate sensitive operational documentation, internal communications, or paid content are directly exposed.

Root Cause

The root cause is incomplete enforcement of access restrictions on the WordPress core search query pipeline. MemberPress filters restricted content during normal post rendering but does not filter results returned by the search subsystem. WordPress search continues to index and expose content from posts that MemberPress flags as role-restricted, allowing the restriction layer to be circumvented through the search endpoint.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is performed remotely over the network. An attacker visits the target WordPress site and submits search queries using the standard ?s= parameter or the site's search form. The server returns search results containing snippets and titles from restricted posts. The attacker iterates through keywords to enumerate sensitive content. No credentials, tokens, or session state are required. For technical details, see the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-11299

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual volume of HTTP GET requests containing the ?s= search parameter from a single IP or range
Search queries enumerating keywords aligned with administrator-only content topics
Anonymous access patterns scraping /search/ endpoints across multiple keyword permutations
Web server logs showing search responses with elevated payload sizes returning to unauthenticated clients

Detection Strategies

Review access logs for the WordPress search endpoint and flag high-frequency queries from unauthenticated sessions
Compare returned search result content against the role-restriction matrix defined in MemberPress rules
Deploy WAF signatures that rate-limit or block automated search enumeration patterns
Audit the installed MemberPress version against the patched release 1.12.0 or later

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress query logging and forward to a centralized SIEM for correlation
Monitor for repeated ?s= parameter probing originating from non-residential IP ranges or known scanner infrastructure
Alert on access to search results referencing post IDs or slugs mapped to restricted MemberPress rules
Track plugin version inventory across all WordPress hosts to identify unpatched instances

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-11299

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade MemberPress to version 1.12.0 or later on all affected WordPress installations
Audit existing restricted posts for sensitive data that may have been exposed prior to patching
Review web server and application logs for anomalous search query activity dating back to the plugin's installation
Rotate any credentials, API keys, or secrets that may have been stored in restricted posts

Patch Information

Caseproof addressed the vulnerability in MemberPress 1.12.0. The fix extends MemberPress access enforcement into the WordPress core search query path, ensuring restricted posts are filtered from search results returned to unauthenticated and lower-privileged users. Release details are available in the MemberPress Change Log.

Workarounds

Disable the WordPress search feature site-wide if upgrading is not immediately feasible
Apply a custom pre_get_posts filter to exclude MemberPress-restricted post types from search queries
Restrict access to the search endpoint via web server rules or WAF until the plugin is updated
Move highly sensitive content out of WordPress posts into systems with stronger access controls

bash

# Example wp-config.php or theme functions.php snippet to exclude restricted posts from search
add_action('pre_get_posts', function($query) {
    if ($query->is_search() && !is_user_logged_in()) {
        $query->set('post__not_in', get_option('mepr_protected_post_ids', []));
    }
});