CVE-2024-43295: WP Data Access CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2024-43295 Overview

CVE-2024-43295 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the WP Data Access WordPress plugin developed by Passionate Programmers B.V. The flaw impacts all versions up to and including 5.5.7. An attacker can trick an authenticated user into submitting a forged request that performs unintended actions within the plugin. The issue is tracked under CWE-352 and requires user interaction to succeed.

Critical Impact
An attacker who convinces an authenticated WordPress user to visit a malicious page can trigger unauthorized state-changing actions in the WP Data Access plugin, compromising data integrity.

Affected Products

Passionate Programmers B.V. WP Data Access plugin for WordPress
All versions from unspecified initial release through 5.5.7
WordPress sites with the WP Data Access plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

2024-08-26 - CVE-2024-43295 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-43295

Vulnerability Analysis

The WP Data Access plugin fails to properly validate the origin of state-changing HTTP requests. WordPress plugins are expected to protect sensitive actions using nonce tokens generated by wp_create_nonce() and verified by check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). When these controls are missing or improperly implemented, attackers can craft external requests that execute actions on behalf of an authenticated victim.

Exploitation requires user interaction, meaning the victim must visit a page or click a link controlled by the attacker. The attacker cannot read the response, but can influence limited integrity-related changes within the plugin scope. Confidentiality and availability impacts are not reported for this issue.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient anti-CSRF token verification on one or more plugin endpoints. Without proper nonce validation, the plugin trusts any authenticated session cookie accompanying a request, regardless of where the request originated. This behavior maps directly to CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery).

Attack Vector

Exploitation follows the standard CSRF pattern for WordPress plugins. An attacker hosts a malicious page containing an auto-submitting form or image tag that targets a vulnerable WP Data Access endpoint on the victim's site. When an authenticated WordPress administrator or privileged user visits the attacker-controlled page, the browser automatically attaches the session cookie for the WordPress site. The forged request executes with the victim's privileges within the plugin. For technical specifics, see the Patchstack WP Data Access Vulnerability advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-43295

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to WP Data Access plugin configuration or data tables without a corresponding admin session in access logs
HTTP Referer headers on plugin admin endpoints pointing to external, non-WordPress origins
Requests to WP Data Access admin URLs missing the expected _wpnonce parameter or containing invalid nonce values

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress access logs for POST requests to wp-admin/admin.php?page=wpda* endpoints originating from unusual referrers
Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to record administrative actions and correlate them with legitimate admin sessions
Monitor plugin database tables for unexplained modifications timestamped outside of scheduled administrative activity

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on HTTP requests to plugin endpoints that lack valid nonce parameters
Track authenticated admin sessions and flag activity where the browsing pattern jumps from external sites directly to plugin admin URLs
Integrate WordPress logs into a centralized SIEM or data lake to support cross-referencing sessions, referrers, and configuration changes

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-43295

Immediate Actions Required

Update the WP Data Access plugin to a version newer than 5.5.7 as soon as a patched release is available from the vendor
Audit WordPress user accounts and reduce privileges where WP Data Access administrative access is not required
Instruct administrators to log out of WordPress sessions before browsing untrusted websites

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects WP Data Access through version 5.5.7. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack advisory and the plugin's official WordPress.org page for the latest fixed version and upgrade instructions.

Workarounds

Deactivate the WP Data Access plugin until a patched version is installed if the functionality is not business-critical
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that requires a valid Referer or Origin header matching the WordPress site for requests to WP Data Access admin endpoints
Restrict access to wp-admin using IP allowlisting or authentication at the web server or reverse proxy layer

bash

# Example Nginx configuration to restrict wp-admin access by IP
location ~ ^/wp-admin/ {
    allow 203.0.113.0/24;   # trusted admin network
    deny all;
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}