CVE-2024-54306 Overview
CVE-2024-54306 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the AIKCT Engine Chatbot, ChatGPT, Gemini, GPT-4o Best AI Chatbot WordPress plugin developed by aitool. The flaw impacts all versions of the ai-seo-translator plugin up to and including 1.6.2. An attacker can trick an authenticated user into submitting a forged request that performs unintended state-changing actions within the plugin. The weakness is classified under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation requires user interaction but allows attackers to trigger unauthorized plugin actions from an authenticated victim's browser session, potentially altering plugin configuration or state.
Affected Products
- aitool AIKCT Engine Chatbot, ChatGPT, Gemini, GPT-4o Best AI Chatbot WordPress plugin
- Plugin slug: ai-seo-translator
- All versions from n/a through 1.6.2
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-13 - CVE-2024-54306 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-54306
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing or improperly validated anti-CSRF tokens in one or more request handlers exposed by the plugin. WordPress provides nonce primitives such as wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() to protect state-changing actions, but the affected endpoints do not enforce this validation consistently. Because the request originates from the victim's browser, it carries valid session cookies, so the server treats the forged request as legitimate.
Exploitation requires user interaction: an authenticated site administrator or privileged user must visit an attacker-controlled page or click a crafted link while logged into WordPress. The attack targets integrity rather than confidentiality or availability, and does not directly disclose data. See the Patchstack advisory for the full technical write-up.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing CSRF protection mechanism on plugin request handlers. Requests are processed without verifying a WordPress nonce or equivalent token that would prove the request originated from a legitimate in-application form.
Attack Vector
An attacker hosts a malicious page containing a hidden form or JavaScript that auto-submits a request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint on the target WordPress site. When an authenticated user loads the page, the browser attaches the user's session cookie and performs the state-changing operation without the victim's knowledge or consent. No authentication material needs to be stolen for the attack to succeed.
No public proof-of-concept exploit code has been published for CVE-2024-54306.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-54306
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected configuration changes within the AIKCT Engine Chatbot plugin settings that cannot be attributed to a legitimate administrator action.
- WordPress access logs showing POST requests to plugin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted origins.
- Administrative actions performed during time windows when the responsible user was not actively working in the WordPress admin console.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server access logs for cross-origin Referer or Origin headers on requests targeting ai-seo-translator plugin endpoints.
- Enable WordPress audit logging to record plugin configuration changes and correlate them with administrator session activity.
- Monitor outbound API calls initiated by the plugin (for example to ChatGPT, Gemini, or GPT-4o endpoints) for anomalies in volume, destination, or credentials used.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on POST requests to /wp-admin/admin.php or admin-ajax.php actions belonging to the plugin when the Referer header is absent or external.
- Track version metadata of installed WordPress plugins across the estate and flag hosts still running ai-seo-translator version 1.6.2 or earlier.
- Review browser telemetry from administrator workstations for visits to suspicious sites immediately preceding unexplained plugin state changes.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-54306
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade the AIKCT Engine Chatbot plugin to a release beyond 1.6.2 as soon as the vendor publishes a patched version. Consult the Patchstack advisory for the fixed version.
- If no fixed version is available, deactivate and remove the plugin from production WordPress installations.
- Audit plugin configuration and any AI provider API keys stored by the plugin, and rotate credentials if tampering is suspected.
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, the advisory identifies all versions up to and including 1.6.2 as affected. Administrators should monitor the plugin's changelog on the WordPress plugin directory and the Patchstack database entry for release of a patched version that introduces WordPress nonce validation on the affected endpoints.
Workarounds
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/ using IP allowlists at the web server or WAF layer so that only trusted networks can reach plugin request handlers.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks POST requests to plugin endpoints when the Referer or Origin header does not match the site's own domain.
- Require administrators to use isolated browser profiles for WordPress management to reduce cross-site request exposure from general web browsing.
- Enforce the principle of least privilege so that fewer accounts have permissions that the CSRF chain can abuse.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
