Critical Flaw in WP Automatic WordPress Plugin Allows Admin Account Hijacking
A critical vulnerability in the WP Automatic plugin for WordPress has become a target for threat actors, allowing them to create user accounts with administrative privileges and implant backdoors for sustained access.
Installed on over 30,000 websites, WP Automatic enables administrators to automate content importing from various online sources, including text, images, and video, for publishing on their WordPress site.
Dubbed CVE-2024-27956, the vulnerability has garnered a severity score of 9.9/10. Disclosed by researchers at PatchStack vulnerability mitigation service on March 13, it is described as an SQL injection issue affecting WP Automatic versions prior to 3.9.2.0.
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The vulnerability lies in the plugin’s user authentication mechanism, permitting attackers to bypass it and submit SQL queries to the site’s database. Crafted queries enable hackers to establish administrator accounts on the target website.
WPScan, from Automattic, has reported over 5.5 million attack attempts since PatchStack disclosed the issue, with the majority occurring on March 31st. Upon gaining admin access, attackers create backdoors and obfuscate code to evade detection.
“After compromising a WordPress site, attackers ensure continued access by creating backdoors and obfuscating code,” states WPScan’s report.
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Threat actors rename the vulnerable file “csv.php” to deter other attackers and detection. Once control is established, they often install additional plugins for file uploads and code editing.
To identify potential compromises, administrators should watch for admin accounts beginning with “xtw” and files named web.php and index.php, which are backdoors from recent attacks.
To mitigate risk, researchers advise WordPress site administrators to update the WP Automatic plugin to version 3.92.1 or later. Additionally, regular backups can expedite recovery in case of compromise.
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Source: bleepingcomputer.com
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