CVE-2024-11620

Rank Math SEO <= 1.0.231 - .htaccess File Manipulation to Remote Code Execution

2024-11-22 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.0.232
Affected Plugin: Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings
Affected Version: <= 1.0.231
CVSS: 7.2High
Weakness type: CWE-98 · Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
CVE: CVE-2024-11620

View all Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-11620 is a high-severity Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in the Rank Math SEO WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.0.231. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 1.0.232; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2024, reported by Rafie Muhammad.

Vulnerability Overview

The Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.231. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to execute code on the server.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-98: Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')

Reaching this weakness in Rank Math SEO <= 1.0.231 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. PHP file inclusion means a path used by include or require is built from request data, so the file that gets executed is under the caller's influence.

Including an attacker-influenced file executes its contents, which is why this class is routinely chained with an upload or log-poisoning step to reach code execution. For Rank Math SEO the fix is 1.0.232: builds <= 1.0.231 are affected, anything from 1.0.232 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.0.232, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Rank Math SEO: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Rank Math SEO 1.0.232 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
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Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-11620 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/95fde924-bba5-4b7d-8cee-50bb3d2b4134 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-11620

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings

CVSS Vector

7.2

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredHigh
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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