CVE-2024-31113 Overview
CVE-2024-31113 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the Easy Digital Downloads plugin for WordPress, developed by sandhillsdev. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 3.2.11. Attackers can trick authenticated administrators into submitting forged state-changing requests by visiting a malicious page or clicking a crafted link. Successful exploitation can lead to high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress installation. The weakness is tracked under CWE-352 and disclosed via Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory.
Critical Impact
A successful CSRF attack against an authenticated administrator can compromise the integrity of the e-commerce store, alter sensitive configuration, and disrupt site availability.
Affected Products
- Easy Digital Downloads for WordPress versions up to and including 3.2.11
- Vendor: sandhillsdev
- CPE: cpe:2.3:a:sandhillsdev:easy_digital_downloads:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-05-14 - CVE-2024-31113 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-31113
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing or improperly validated anti-CSRF tokens on state-changing requests within the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. An attacker hosts a malicious page that triggers an HTTP request to the targeted WordPress site. If a logged-in administrator visits that page, the browser automatically attaches authenticated session cookies. The plugin processes the request as legitimate because it does not adequately verify request origin or nonce values. This enables the attacker to perform privileged actions in the victim administrator's context. The EPSS probability for this issue is 0.22% at percentile 12.32, indicating limited observed exploitation activity to date.
Root Cause
The root cause is insufficient request authenticity validation on sensitive plugin endpoints. WordPress plugins typically rely on wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() to guard administrative actions. In affected versions of Easy Digital Downloads, one or more handlers fail to enforce these checks. Attackers can therefore forge requests without possessing a valid nonce.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires user interaction from an authenticated administrator, such as visiting a malicious URL or rendering attacker-controlled HTML. The attack is delivered over the network and requires no privileges on the target system. The forged request executes with the victim's privileges, allowing the attacker to manipulate plugin settings, products, or other resources exposed by the vulnerable handlers. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for technical specifics.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. The vulnerability mechanism follows the standard CSRF pattern: an attacker crafts an HTML form or fetch() request targeting a vulnerable plugin endpoint and induces an authenticated administrator to trigger it from their browser.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-31113
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modifications to Easy Digital Downloads settings, products, discount codes, or payment gateway configuration without corresponding admin activity
- HTTP POST or GET requests to plugin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains
- Administrative actions originating from sessions immediately after the user visited an unfamiliar external site
Detection Strategies
- Review web server access logs for state-changing requests to /wp-admin/ and edd- action endpoints with mismatched or missing Referer and Origin headers
- Correlate WordPress audit logs against expected administrator activity windows to identify out-of-band configuration changes
- Inspect plugin and option tables for changes to edd_settings that do not match deployment baselines
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to capture administrator-driven configuration changes with timestamps and source IP addresses
- Alert on anomalous referers and absent CSRF tokens in requests to administrative URIs handled by Easy Digital Downloads
- Monitor outbound browser traffic from administrative workstations for connections to known malicious infrastructure preceding plugin changes
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-31113
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Easy Digital Downloads to a version later than 3.2.11 that addresses the CSRF flaw, as referenced in the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory
- Force re-authentication of all WordPress administrators and rotate any API keys or credentials that may have been exposed
- Audit recent administrative changes to plugin configuration, products, and discount codes for unauthorized modifications
Patch Information
A fixed version of Easy Digital Downloads has been published. Site administrators should update through the WordPress plugin manager or by replacing the plugin files with the latest release from the vendor. Validate the post-update version by checking the plugin metadata in wp-admin/plugins.php.
Workarounds
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/ by IP allow-list using web server or WAF rules until the patch is applied
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that enforces presence of valid Referer and WordPress nonce parameters on Easy Digital Downloads endpoints
- Require administrators to use separate browser profiles or dedicated workstations for WordPress management, reducing exposure to malicious third-party content
# Update Easy Digital Downloads via WP-CLI on the host
wp plugin update easy-digital-downloads
wp plugin get easy-digital-downloads --field=version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
