CVE-2024-50492: ScottCart Code Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2024-50492 Overview

CVE-2024-50492 is a critical Code Injection vulnerability affecting the ScottCart WordPress plugin developed by Scott Paterson. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code on vulnerable WordPress installations running ScottCart version 1.1 or earlier. The flaw stems from improper control of code generation, enabling remote code execution (RCE) without requiring any user interaction or authentication.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can achieve remote code execution on affected WordPress sites, potentially leading to complete server compromise, data theft, website defacement, or use of the compromised server for further attacks.

Affected Products

• ScottCart WordPress Plugin version 1.1 and earlier
• WordPress installations using the scottcart plugin
• All WordPress sites with ScottCart installed regardless of configuration

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-10-28 - CVE-2024-50492 published to NVD
• 2026-04-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-50492

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'). The ScottCart WordPress plugin fails to properly sanitize and validate user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated code. This allows an attacker to inject malicious code that gets executed by the server with the same privileges as the web application.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means any attacker with network access to a vulnerable WordPress installation can exploit it. No authentication credentials are required, and no user interaction is needed to trigger the vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible WordPress sites.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-50492 lies in the ScottCart plugin's failure to implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. User-controlled data is processed and incorporated into executable code without adequate sanitization, allowing attackers to break out of the intended data context and inject executable instructions.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request to a vulnerable WordPress site with the ScottCart plugin installed. The malicious payload is processed by the plugin's flawed code generation logic, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the server.

The vulnerability can be exploited by sending specially crafted requests to the WordPress site. Due to the sensitive nature of this vulnerability and the lack of verified proof-of-concept code, specific exploitation details are withheld. Security researchers and administrators should consult the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-50492

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected PHP files or webshells appearing in WordPress directories
• Unusual outbound network connections from the web server
• Modified plugin files within the wp-content/plugins/scottcart/ directory
• Suspicious entries in web server access logs showing encoded payloads or injection attempts targeting ScottCart endpoints
• New unauthorized administrator accounts created in WordPress

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server logs for requests containing code injection patterns or unusual encoded characters targeting the ScottCart plugin
• Implement file integrity monitoring (FIM) on WordPress plugin directories to detect unauthorized modifications
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block code injection attempts
• Use WordPress security plugins to scan for known vulnerabilities and suspicious file changes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for WordPress and the underlying web server to capture detailed request information
• Set up alerts for any modifications to files within the ScottCart plugin directory
• Monitor for anomalous process execution originating from the web server user account
• Implement network traffic analysis to detect command-and-control communications or data exfiltration attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-50492

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately deactivate and remove the ScottCart plugin from all WordPress installations
• Conduct a thorough security audit of affected WordPress sites to identify any signs of compromise
• Review web server logs for evidence of exploitation attempts
• If compromise is suspected, restore from a known clean backup and reset all credentials
• Consider implementing a web application firewall (WAF) to provide additional protection against code injection attacks

Patch Information

At the time of this advisory, no official patch is available from the vendor for CVE-2024-50492. The vulnerability affects ScottCart version 1.1 and all prior versions. Site administrators should remove the plugin entirely until a security update is released. Monitor the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for updates on remediation status.

Workarounds

• Remove or deactivate the ScottCart plugin immediately until a patched version is available
• Implement WAF rules to block suspicious requests containing code injection patterns
• Restrict access to the WordPress admin panel and limit exposure of the site to trusted networks where possible
• Enable WordPress security hardening measures including disabling file editing via the admin panel by adding define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true); to wp-config.php
• Consider using alternative e-commerce plugins that are actively maintained and have been security audited

# Deactivate ScottCart plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate scottcart

# Remove ScottCart plugin entirely
wp plugin delete scottcart

# Verify the plugin has been removed
wp plugin list | grep scottcart

# Add file editing restriction to wp-config.php
echo "define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);" >> wp-config.php