CVE-2024-11640: VikRentCar WordPress Plugin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2024-11640 Overview

CVE-2024-11640 affects the VikRentCar Car Rental Management System plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 1.4.2. The vulnerability stems from missing or incorrect nonce validation on the save function, enabling Cross-Site Request Forgery [CWE-352]. Unauthenticated attackers can change plugin access privileges by tricking a site administrator into clicking a crafted link. Once privileges are modified, attackers with subscriber-level access or higher can upload arbitrary files to the server, potentially leading to remote code execution.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables low-privileged users to upload arbitrary files, potentially achieving remote code execution on the affected WordPress site.

Affected Products

VikRentCar Car Rental Management System plugin for WordPress
All versions up to and including 1.4.2
WordPress sites with the e4jconnect VikRentCar plugin installed

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-08 - CVE-2024-11640 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-11640

Vulnerability Analysis

The VikRentCar plugin exposes a save function that lacks proper nonce validation. WordPress nonces are tokens designed to verify that a request originated from a legitimate user session. Without this validation, the plugin cannot distinguish between an administrator-initiated action and a forged request triggered by an external site.

An attacker hosts a malicious page containing a forged form or JavaScript payload targeting the vulnerable endpoint. When an authenticated administrator visits this page, the browser submits the request using the administrator's session cookies. The plugin processes the request as legitimate and modifies access privileges accordingly.

Once the attacker elevates access for lower-privileged accounts, they exploit a secondary file upload pathway. Subscriber-level accounts and above can then upload arbitrary files, including PHP web shells, which the server may execute.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of wp_verify_nonce() or equivalent CSRF token validation in the save function. WordPress provides a nonce framework that the plugin failed to implement correctly. The plugin trusts session cookies alone for authentication, which CSRF attacks abuse.

Attack Vector

The attack requires network access and user interaction. An attacker must persuade an administrator to click a malicious link or visit a controlled page. The forged request executes silently in the background using the administrator's authenticated browser session. The attack chain combines CSRF for privilege modification with arbitrary file upload for code execution.

The vulnerability mechanism is described in the Wordfence Vulnerability Assessment and the corresponding patch in the WordPress Plugin Change Log.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-11640

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to VikRentCar plugin access privilege settings in the WordPress database
New or modified files in plugin upload directories with PHP or other executable extensions
HTTP POST requests to VikRentCar admin endpoints with external Referer headers
Subscriber or low-privileged accounts performing file upload actions

Detection Strategies

Monitor WordPress access logs for POST requests to VikRentCar administrative endpoints originating from external referrers
Audit the wp_options table and plugin configuration entries for unauthorized privilege changes
Scan plugin upload directories for files with executable extensions such as .php, .phtml, or .phar

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to record administrative actions and privilege modifications
Alert on file uploads by accounts with subscriber or contributor roles
Review web server logs for anomalous request patterns targeting /wp-admin/admin.php?page=vikrentcar or related plugin URLs

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-11640

Immediate Actions Required

Update the VikRentCar Car Rental Management System plugin to a version newer than 1.4.2 as soon as a patched release is available
Audit all user accounts for unexpected privilege escalations and remove untrusted accounts
Inspect plugin upload directories for unauthorized files and remove any suspicious uploads

Patch Information

The vendor addressed this issue in the plugin source tree. Refer to the WordPress Plugin Change Log for the specific changeset that introduces nonce validation on the save function. Apply the patched version through the standard WordPress plugin update mechanism.

Workarounds

Deactivate the VikRentCar plugin until administrators apply the patched release
Restrict administrator access to the WordPress admin interface using IP allowlists or VPN-only access
Train administrators to avoid clicking untrusted links while authenticated to WordPress
Deploy a web application firewall rule blocking cross-origin POST requests to VikRentCar admin endpoints

bash

# Example WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate vikrentcar --allow-root

# Verify plugin status
wp plugin status vikrentcar