CVE-2024-31252: dFactory Responsive Lightbox Auth Bypass

CVE-2024-31252 Overview

CVE-2024-31252 is a missing authorization vulnerability affecting the dFactory Responsive Lightbox & Gallery plugin for WordPress. The flaw impacts all plugin versions up to and including 2.4.6. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can access functionality that should be restricted, leading to compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and was disclosed through the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory. The issue is exploitable over the network with low attack complexity.

Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker with low privileges can invoke restricted plugin functionality remotely, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on affected WordPress installations.

Affected Products

dFactory Responsive Lightbox & Gallery plugin for WordPress
All versions from initial release through 2.4.6
WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

2024-06-09 - CVE-2024-31252 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-31252

Vulnerability Analysis

The Responsive Lightbox & Gallery plugin exposes one or more plugin actions without enforcing proper authorization checks. Users authenticated at low privilege levels, such as subscribers or contributors, can invoke functionality intended for administrators. The attack requires network access and low attack complexity, but no user interaction beyond the attacker's own request. Successful exploitation impacts all three security properties on the target site.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization control [CWE-862] in plugin request handlers. The vulnerable code paths do not verify that the caller holds the required WordPress capability or role before executing privileged operations. Nonce checks alone, if present, are insufficient because any authenticated user can obtain a valid nonce.

Attack Vector

An attacker first obtains a low-privileged account on the target WordPress site, either through open registration, credential theft, or account takeover. The attacker then issues crafted HTTP requests to the plugin's AJAX or admin-post endpoints. Because authorization checks are absent, the plugin processes the request as if it came from a permitted role. Depending on the exposed action, the attacker can modify plugin settings, alter gallery content, or trigger operations that affect site integrity and availability.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently referenced in the CVE record. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-31252

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to Responsive Lightbox & Gallery plugin settings or gallery entries made by non-administrative accounts
Requests to plugin AJAX endpoints such as admin-ajax.php with action parameters tied to the plugin, originating from subscriber-level or contributor-level sessions
Newly registered low-privilege user accounts followed shortly by requests to plugin-controlled endpoints

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress access logs for authenticated requests to plugin endpoints performed by accounts that should not have plugin administration rights
Correlate user role information with the source of plugin configuration changes recorded in the WordPress database or audit plugin logs
Alert on high-volume POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing Responsive Lightbox action names from a single low-privilege session

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a WordPress audit-logging plugin to record configuration changes, user role changes, and plugin actions with actor attribution
Ship WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM or data lake for retention and correlation across sites
Monitor for anomalous account creation followed by administrative actions within a short window

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-31252

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Responsive Lightbox & Gallery plugin to a version later than 2.4.6 as soon as a fixed release is available from the vendor
Audit existing WordPress user accounts and remove or disable low-privilege accounts that are not required
Disable open user registration on sites where it is not operationally required
Review recent plugin configuration and gallery changes for unauthorized modifications

Patch Information

The issue affects Responsive Lightbox & Gallery versions through 2.4.6. Site operators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for the current fixed version and apply the update through the WordPress plugin manager or wp-cli.

Workarounds

Deactivate the Responsive Lightbox & Gallery plugin until a patched version is installed if the plugin is not business-critical
Restrict access to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and admin-post.php from unauthenticated sources using a web application firewall rule set that blocks the vulnerable action names
Apply the principle of least privilege by enforcing minimum WordPress roles and removing unused capabilities from custom roles

bash

# Update the plugin using wp-cli once a fixed release is published
wp plugin update responsive-lightbox

# Or deactivate the plugin as an interim workaround
wp plugin deactivate responsive-lightbox