CVE-2024-12008

W3 Total Cache <= 2.8.1 Information Exposure via Log Files

2025-01-13 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.8.2
Affected Plugin: W3 Total Cache
Affected Version: <= 2.8.1
CVSS: 5.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE: CVE-2024-12008

At a glance

CVE-2024-12008 is a medium-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in the W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.8.1. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.8.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2025, reported by villu164.

Vulnerability Overview

The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.1 through the publicly exposed debug log file. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to view potentially sensitive information in the exposed log file. For example, the log file may contain nonce values that can be used in further CSRF attacks. Note: the debug feature must be enabled for this to be a concern, and it is disabled by default.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Reaching this weakness in W3 Total Cache <= 2.8.1 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Sensitive information exposure means data the application intended to keep internal is returned to a caller who should not be able to see it.

The disclosed data — credentials, tokens, customer records or internal paths — is usually worth more as material for a follow-up attack than as an end in itself. For W3 Total Cache the fix is 2.8.2: builds <= 2.8.1 are affected, anything from 2.8.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.8.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The fix is the thing that ends this: W3 Total Cache 2.8.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-12008 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8292f23c-fb17-4082-9788-f643d1bb097e https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-12008

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in W3 Total Cache

CVSS Vector

5.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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