CVE-2024-11640 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the VikRentCar Car Rental Management System plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.4.2. The root cause is the absence or incorrect implementation of nonce validation on the plugin's 'save' function, which is intended to protect against unauthorized requests. This vulnerability allows an attacker to craft a malicious request that, when executed by a site administrator (or any user with subscriber-level privileges or higher), can change plugin access privileges and upload arbitrary files to the server. The attack vector requires user interaction, specifically the administrator clicking a crafted link or visiting a malicious page, which then triggers the forged request. Successful exploitation can lead to remote code execution (RCE), as arbitrary files uploaded could include web shells or other malicious payloads. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without prior authentication but depends on social engineering to induce the required user interaction. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No patches or fixes are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-352, indicating a classic CSRF attack vector. Given the plugin’s use in managing car rental systems, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to websites relying on this plugin for operational management.

The impact of CVE-2024-11640 is substantial for organizations using the VikRentCar plugin. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized privilege escalation, allowing attackers to upload arbitrary files, potentially resulting in remote code execution. This compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected web server and its data. Attackers could gain persistent backdoor access, manipulate rental data, disrupt business operations, or use the compromised server as a pivot point for further network attacks. Since the vulnerability requires only that an administrator or privileged user be tricked into clicking a link, social engineering risks are high. Organizations operating car rental services or related business functions on WordPress sites with this plugin are at risk of data breaches, service outages, and reputational damage. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current exploitation but also indicates a window of opportunity for attackers before patches are widely deployed.

To mitigate CVE-2024-11640, organizations should immediately audit their WordPress sites for the presence of the VikRentCar plugin and verify the version in use. Since no official patch links are currently available, administrators should consider the following specific actions: 1) Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only and enforce multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of compromised credentials. 2) Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious CSRF attempts targeting the plugin’s 'save' function endpoints. 3) Educate administrators and privileged users about the risks of clicking untrusted links, especially when logged into the WordPress admin panel. 4) Temporarily disable or remove the plugin if feasible until a security patch is released. 5) Monitor server logs for unusual file uploads or changes to plugin access privileges. 6) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts. 7) Once a patch is released, apply it promptly and verify nonce validation is correctly implemented. These targeted mitigations go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, user awareness, and proactive detection tailored to this specific vulnerability.