CVE-2024-13814 Overview
CVE-2024-13814 affects the Global Gallery - WordPress Responsive Gallery plugin developed by lcweb. The plugin fails to validate user-supplied input before passing it to the WordPress do_shortcode function. Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can execute arbitrary shortcodes on affected sites.
The flaw impacts all versions up to and including 9.1.5. Because Subscriber accounts are commonly granted on sites that allow public registration, the barrier to exploitation is low. Successful exploitation enables execution of any shortcode registered on the site, which can lead to information disclosure, content manipulation, or chained attacks against other plugins.
Critical Impact
Authenticated Subscriber-level users can execute arbitrary WordPress shortcodes, exposing confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the site.
Affected Products
- Lcweb Global Gallery - WordPress Responsive Gallery plugin versions up to and including 9.1.5
- WordPress installations with the plugin active and user registration enabled
- Sites where Subscriber-level (or higher) accounts exist
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-12 - CVE-2024-13814 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-13814
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is classified as Code Injection [CWE-94]. The plugin exposes an authenticated action handler that accepts a user-supplied value and forwards it directly to WordPress's do_shortcode function without validating that the value is limited to shortcodes the plugin controls.
WordPress shortcodes are executed server-side and can trigger arbitrary code paths registered by any plugin or theme installed on the site. Because the vulnerable action does not restrict which shortcodes may be invoked, a low-privileged authenticated user can trigger any shortcode handler in the site's environment. Depending on which plugins are installed, this can yield sensitive data disclosure, unauthorized state changes, or amplification into further compromise.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing input validation before invocation of do_shortcode. The handler accepts a shortcode value from an authenticated request and evaluates it without enforcing an allowlist of permitted shortcode tags or verifying that the caller is authorized to execute the requested shortcode.
Attack Vector
An attacker registers or uses an existing Subscriber-level account on a vulnerable WordPress site. The attacker sends a crafted request to the plugin's action endpoint containing an arbitrary shortcode payload. The plugin passes the payload to do_shortcode, which executes the referenced shortcode handler with the plugin's execution context.
Because no verified proof-of-concept has been published, review the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for detailed technical analysis.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-13814
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected POST requests from Subscriber accounts to Global Gallery AJAX or admin-ajax endpoints containing shortcode syntax such as [...] in parameter values.
- New Subscriber-level user registrations followed by requests to plugin action endpoints within a short time window.
- Unusual output or error entries in web server logs referencing do_shortcode execution paths from low-privilege sessions.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect access logs for authenticated requests to admin-ajax.php where POST bodies contain bracketed shortcode tokens submitted by non-administrator users.
- Compare the installed plugin version against the vendor changelog to identify sites running 9.1.5 or earlier.
- Alert on shortcode invocations that reference tags outside the Global Gallery's known shortcode set when the caller is not an editor or administrator.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to record user role, request URI, and payload for all plugin AJAX actions.
- Track anomalous Subscriber activity such as first-time interactions with gallery-related endpoints.
- Forward web application logs to a centralized SIEM and correlate with authentication events to detect chained abuse.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-13814
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Global Gallery - WordPress Responsive Gallery plugin to a version later than 9.1.5 as published in the LCWeb Changelog for Plugin.
- Audit existing Subscriber accounts and remove any that are not required. Disable open user registration if it is not needed.
- Review web server and WordPress logs for prior exploitation attempts referencing the plugin's action endpoints.
Patch Information
The vendor has published updates via CodeCanyon. Refer to the CodeCanyon Item Information page and the LCWeb Changelog for Plugin for the fixed release. Apply the patched version across all sites running the plugin.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the Global Gallery plugin until the patched release is deployed if immediate updating is not possible.
- Restrict user registration by setting the WordPress users_can_register option to 0 in the site's General settings.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks requests to the plugin's AJAX action containing shortcode brackets from non-administrator sessions.
# Configuration example: disable open registration via WP-CLI
wp option update users_can_register 0
# Force-update the plugin to the patched release
wp plugin update global-gallery
# Verify the installed version is later than 9.1.5
wp plugin get global-gallery --field=version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
