WordPress Awesome Import & Export Plugin - Import & Export WordPress Data <= 4.1.1 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary SQL Execution/Privilege Escalation
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Version
<= 4.1.1- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2024-13232
At a glance
CVE-2024-13232 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress Awesome Import & Export Plugin - Import & Export WordPress Data WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.1.1. 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. No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed March 2025, reported by Trương Hữu Phúc (truonghuuphuc).
Vulnerability Overview
The WordPress Awesome Import & Export Plugin - Import & Export WordPress Data plugin for WordPress is vulnerable arbitrary SQL Execution and privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the renderImport() function in all versions up to, and including, 4.1.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to execute arbitrary SQL statements that can leveraged to create a new administrative user account.
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
WordPress Awesome Import & Export Plugin - Import & Export WordPress Data <= 4.1.1 carries this weakness at renderImport(), and reaching it 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. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for WordPress Awesome Import & Export Plugin - Import & Export WordPress Data yet, so installs running <= 4.1.1 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
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. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
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