CVE-2024-44052 Overview
CVE-2024-44052 is a missing authorization vulnerability affecting the HelloAsso WordPress plugin through version 1.1.10. The plugin fails to enforce proper capability checks on sensitive functions, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to invoke actions restricted to higher-privileged roles. The weakness is categorized under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and impacts WordPress sites that integrate HelloAsso donation and payment features.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with minimal privileges can bypass access controls in the HelloAsso plugin, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the WordPress site.
Affected Products
- HelloAsso WordPress plugin versions up to and including 1.1.10
- WordPress installations running the vulnerable HelloAsso integration
- Sites exposing plugin endpoints to authenticated users
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-11-01 - CVE-2024-44052 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-44052
Vulnerability Analysis
The HelloAsso plugin exposes functionality that does not verify whether the requesting user holds the required WordPress capability. An authenticated attacker with low privileges, such as a subscriber, can call the affected endpoints and perform operations reserved for administrators. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress instance. The attack requires network access and low complexity, with no user interaction beyond authentication.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of authorization checks such as current_user_can() or nonce validation on sensitive plugin actions. WordPress plugins must gate privileged operations behind explicit capability checks. Without those checks, action handlers register callbacks that any authenticated user can trigger. The HelloAsso plugin registers such handlers without enforcing role verification, which produces the broken access control condition.
Attack Vector
An attacker first obtains an account on the target WordPress site, which may be trivial when open registration is enabled. The attacker then issues HTTP requests to the plugin's action endpoints, typically through admin-ajax.php or plugin-specific routes. Because the plugin does not enforce authorization, the requests execute the sensitive logic and return successful responses. The vulnerability manifests in plugin action handlers that lack capability checks. See the Patchstack advisory for technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-44052
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected requests from low-privileged accounts to HelloAsso plugin endpoints under wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or wp-json/
- Modifications to HelloAsso plugin configuration or associated database rows without corresponding administrator activity
- New or altered WordPress options, posts, or donation records outside expected administrator sessions
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access logs for repeated calls to HelloAsso plugin actions originating from non-administrator accounts
- Correlate authentication events with subsequent privileged plugin actions to identify authorization bypass patterns
- Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to record capability-sensitive operations and flag anomalous invocations
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on HTTP 200 responses to HelloAsso plugin endpoints when the requester is not an administrator
- Monitor for spikes in admin-ajax.php traffic tied to the helloasso action namespace
- Track new user registrations followed by immediate plugin-endpoint requests within short time windows
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-44052
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the HelloAsso plugin to a version later than 1.1.10 as soon as the vendor publishes a fixed release
- Restrict WordPress user registration and audit existing low-privileged accounts for suspicious activity
- Place the WordPress site behind a web application firewall configured to inspect plugin endpoint requests
Patch Information
Refer to the Patchstack vulnerability entry for the current patch status and remediation guidance from the vendor. Administrators should apply the fixed version once released and verify plugin integrity through the WordPress plugin manager.
Workarounds
- Disable the HelloAsso plugin until a patched version is available if the functionality is not business-critical
- Deploy virtual patching rules through a WordPress firewall to block unauthenticated or low-privileged access to HelloAsso action endpoints
- Enforce least-privilege role assignments and remove unused subscriber accounts to reduce the attack surface
# Example: temporarily deactivate the HelloAsso plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate helloasso
wp plugin status helloasso
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
