CVE-2024-31261 Overview
CVE-2024-31261 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Aakash Chakravarthy Announcer – Notification & message bars plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 6.0. The plugin fails to enforce proper capability checks on privileged actions, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to perform operations reserved for administrators. The issue is categorized under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low privileges can modify plugin state, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress site.
Affected Products
- Aakash Chakravarthy Announcer – Notification & message bars plugin for WordPress
- All versions from unspecified initial release through 6.0
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin with any authenticated user access
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-06-09 - CVE-2024-31261 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-31261
Vulnerability Analysis
The Announcer plugin exposes administrative functionality through endpoints that do not verify the caller's role or capability. WordPress plugins are expected to invoke current_user_can() and validate nonces before executing state-changing operations. The Announcer plugin omits these checks on one or more handlers, resulting in broken access control.
An attacker who holds any authenticated session, including a Subscriber account created through open registration, can invoke the unprotected endpoint. The impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability because the reachable functionality can alter plugin data used across the site. The Patchstack advisory classifies the issue as broken access control.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of authorization checks on plugin action handlers. The plugin relies on the presence of an authenticated session rather than verifying that the session belongs to a user with the required capability. No role gating or nonce validation is enforced on the vulnerable code path.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site and a valid low-privilege account. The attacker sends a crafted request to the plugin's action endpoint, typically over admin-ajax.php or a REST route. No user interaction is needed beyond the attacker's own authenticated request. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for further technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-31261
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Announcer plugin settings, notification bars, or message content on WordPress sites
- POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing Announcer plugin actions from accounts without administrative roles
- New or modified announcer entries created outside standard administrative workflows
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access logs for requests targeting Announcer plugin endpoints originating from Subscriber, Contributor, or Author accounts
- Correlate authenticated request patterns with plugin configuration changes recorded in the database
- Audit wp_options and plugin-specific tables for unauthorized modifications to announcer content
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to capture plugin setting changes and the associated user ID
- Alert on privilege-role mismatches where non-administrative users trigger administrative plugin actions
- Track EPSS scoring changes for CVE-2024-31261 to prioritize remediation as exploit likelihood evolves
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-31261
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Announcer – Notification & message bars plugin to a version later than 6.0 once the vendor publishes a fixed release
- Restrict new user registration on WordPress sites where the plugin is installed until patching is complete
- Review all existing user accounts and remove unused or untrusted low-privilege accounts
Patch Information
Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for the latest patch status. Administrators should verify the installed plugin version against the vendor's release notes and apply the fixed version once available. If no patched release is available, uninstall the plugin.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and remove the Announcer plugin until a patched version is released
- Apply a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks unauthenticated and low-privilege access to Announcer plugin AJAX and REST endpoints
- Enforce least privilege by ensuring only administrator accounts exist on sites where the plugin remains active
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
