CVE-2024-52451 Overview
CVE-2024-52451 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the aaronrobbins Post Ideas WordPress plugin that can be chained to achieve SQL Injection. The flaw affects all versions of Post Ideas up to and including version 2. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated user who visits an attacker-controlled page, performs unauthorized database operations against the WordPress backend. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery.
Critical Impact
A successful attack lets a remote, unauthenticated adversary trigger SQL Injection through a victim's authenticated session, exposing sensitive database contents and degrading site availability.
Affected Products
- aaronrobbins Post Ideas plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 2
- WordPress installations with the Post Ideas plugin active
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-11-20 - CVE-2024-52451 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-52451
Vulnerability Analysis
The Post Ideas plugin exposes one or more administrative actions that lack CSRF protection. Specifically, the relevant handlers do not validate a WordPress nonce or verify the request origin before processing user-supplied input. Because the same input is concatenated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or sanitization, the missing CSRF control becomes a vehicle for SQL Injection.
An attacker hosts a malicious page or sends a crafted link to an authenticated WordPress user. When the victim loads the page, the browser submits a forged request to the vulnerable Post Ideas endpoint, carrying the victim's session cookies. The server then executes the attacker-controlled SQL payload under the victim's privileges.
The attack requires user interaction but no authentication on the attacker's part. Because the scope changes from the victim's browser to the WordPress database, the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of anti-CSRF tokens on state-changing requests, compounded by unsanitized input flowing into SQL queries. WordPress provides wp_verify_nonce() and check_admin_referer() to validate request authenticity, but the affected handlers in Post Ideas do not invoke these checks.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network and requires the victim to interact with an attacker-controlled resource, such as clicking a link or visiting a page that auto-submits a form. No prior privileges on the target site are needed by the attacker; the victim supplies the authenticated context. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-52451
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected outbound POST requests from administrator browsers to Post Ideas plugin endpoints with anomalous parameters.
- WordPress access logs showing requests to Post Ideas handlers containing SQL meta-characters such as ', --, UNION, or SLEEP(.
- Sudden database errors or query latency spikes correlated with admin sessions visiting external sites.
- Unauthorized modifications to wp_options, wp_users, or plugin-specific tables.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server and application logs for requests to Post Ideas endpoints lacking a valid _wpnonce parameter or Referer header matching the site's origin.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags SQL Injection signatures targeting WordPress admin-ajax and plugin URLs.
- Correlate authenticated admin sessions with browsing telemetry to identify cross-origin form submissions to the WordPress site.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable database query logging on the WordPress host and alert on queries originating from plugin handlers containing UNION, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or stacked statements.
- Monitor for newly created or modified WordPress administrator accounts following suspicious requests.
- Track plugin file integrity and configuration drift across managed WordPress installations.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-52451
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the Post Ideas plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor.
- Audit WordPress administrator accounts and reset credentials for any user who may have visited untrusted pages while authenticated.
- Review the WordPress database for unexpected entries in wp_users, wp_options, and Post Ideas tables.
Patch Information
At the time of the latest NVD update, no fixed version of Post Ideas beyond version 2 has been published. Consult the Patchstack advisory for the latest remediation status and any vendor updates.
Workarounds
- Remove the Post Ideas plugin from production WordPress sites if a patched release is not available.
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks using IP allowlisting at the web server or WAF layer.
- Require administrators to use isolated browser profiles that do not visit untrusted sites while logged into WordPress.
- Deploy a WAF rule to block requests to Post Ideas endpoints that lack a valid same-origin Referer header and WordPress nonce.
# Example: disable the Post Ideas plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate post-ideas
wp plugin delete post-ideas
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
