W3 Total Cache plugin flaw exposes 1 million WordPress sites to attacks

W3 Total Cache plugin flaw exposes 1 million WordPress sites to attacks
Summary: A critical vulnerability in the W3 Total Cache plugin, used by over a million WordPress sites, could allow attackers to access sensitive information and perform unauthorized actions. Despite a patch being released, many sites remain unprotected, leaving them open to exploitation. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2024-12365, poses significant risks including Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and information disclosure.

Threat Actor: Unknown | unknown
Victim: WordPress Users | WordPress Users

Keypoints :

  • Vulnerability due to a missing capability check in the ‘is_w3tc_admin_page’ function.
  • Exploitation requires only subscriber-level authentication, making it easy for attackers.
  • Recommended action is to upgrade to W3 Total Cache version 2.8.2 to mitigate the risk.
  • Real-world impact includes potential SSRF attacks and service abuse affecting site performance.
  • Website owners are advised to limit plugin installations and consider using a web application firewall.

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/w3-total-cache-plugin-flaw-exposes-1-million-wordpress-sites-to-attacks/