CVE-2024-12544

SurveyJS: Drag & Drop WordPress Form Builder to create, style and embed multiple forms of any complexity <= 1.12.17 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary File Deletion via SurveyJS_DeleteFile

2025-02-28 00:00
Thanh Nam Tran

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.12.18
Affected Plugin
SurveyJS: Drag & Drop Form Builder
Affected Version
<= 1.12.17
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2024-12544
View all SurveyJS: Drag & Drop Form Builder vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-12544 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the SurveyJS WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.12.17. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.12.18; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2025, reported by Thanh Nam Tran.

Vulnerability Overview

The SurveyJS: Drag & Drop WordPress Form Builder to create, style and embed multiple forms of any complexity plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to a missing capability check on the callback function of the SurveyJS_DeleteFile class in all versions up to, and including, 1.12.17. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php). This function is still vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery as of 1.12.20.

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-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in SurveyJS <= 1.12.17 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For SurveyJS the fix is 1.12.18: builds <= 1.12.17 are affected, anything from 1.12.18 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.12.18, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: SurveyJS 1.12.18 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-12544https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/e9404fe4-855e-4eb4-81c4-5246f6e9be0chttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-12544

Related records

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