CVE-2024-37458: Highlight Plugin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2024-37458 Overview

CVE-2024-37458 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the extendthemes Highlight WordPress theme. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 1.0.29. An attacker can trick an authenticated site user into submitting a forged request that performs unintended actions within the WordPress admin context. Exploitation requires user interaction, typically through a crafted link or malicious webpage. The issue is tracked under CWE-352 and impacts data integrity within affected WordPress installations.

Critical Impact
An attacker can perform state-changing actions on behalf of an authenticated WordPress user without their consent, potentially altering theme settings or site configuration.

Affected Products

extendthemes Highlight WordPress theme, versions up to and including 1.0.29
WordPress installations using the vulnerable Highlight theme
Sites where administrators or privileged users can be lured into visiting attacker-controlled content

Discovery Timeline

2025-01-02 - CVE-2024-37458 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-37458

Vulnerability Analysis

The Highlight theme exposes one or more state-changing endpoints that do not validate the origin of incoming requests. When an authenticated WordPress user visits an attacker-controlled page, that page can silently submit a forged HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint. The browser attaches the user's session cookies, and the target site processes the request as legitimate. The attack succeeds because the theme lacks anti-CSRF safeguards such as WordPress nonce verification via wp_verify_nonce() or check_admin_referer().

Root Cause

The root cause is missing CSRF protection on privileged actions within the Highlight theme, classified as CWE-352. WordPress provides a nonce mechanism to bind requests to a specific user session, but the vulnerable code paths do not enforce nonce checks. Without this validation, the application cannot distinguish forged cross-origin requests from legitimate user-initiated actions.

Attack Vector

The attack requires network access and user interaction. An attacker crafts a malicious webpage or email link containing a hidden form or JavaScript that automatically submits a request to the target WordPress site. When an authenticated user visits the malicious content, the browser sends the request with valid session cookies. The vulnerable endpoint processes the action without verifying request authenticity. See the Patchstack advisory for additional context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-37458

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to theme settings or WordPress configuration performed by authenticated users
HTTP POST requests to Highlight theme endpoints originating from external Referer headers
Administrative actions logged outside of normal user workflows or business hours

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress access logs for POST requests to theme-related admin endpoints lacking valid nonce parameters
Correlate Referer headers on state-changing requests against expected internal origins
Monitor for unusual outbound links or embedded content on pages visited by administrators

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable audit logging for all WordPress administrative actions using a plugin such as WP Activity Log
Alert on modifications to theme configuration made shortly after external referrers appear in the access log
Track authentication sessions and correlate them with sensitive state changes to identify anomalous patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-37458

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress sites running the Highlight theme at version 1.0.29 or earlier
Restrict administrative access to trusted networks where feasible until a fix is applied
Advise privileged users to log out of WordPress sessions before browsing untrusted content

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no fixed version is listed in the referenced advisory. Site owners should consult the Patchstack advisory for the Highlight theme for updates from extendthemes and apply any released patch as soon as it becomes available.

Workarounds

Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with CSRF protection rules in front of the WordPress site
Replace the Highlight theme with an alternative theme that enforces WordPress nonce validation on admin actions
Enforce SameSite=Lax or SameSite=Strict cookie attributes on WordPress authentication cookies to reduce cross-origin request risk

bash

# Example: enforce SameSite cookie attribute via wp-config.php
# Add the following to wp-config.php to harden session cookies
define('COOKIE_DOMAIN', 'example.com');
@ini_set('session.cookie_samesite', 'Strict');
@ini_set('session.cookie_secure', '1');
@ini_set('session.cookie_httponly', '1');