CVE-2024-12046 is a security vulnerability classified as CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) found in the Medical Addon for Elementor plugin for WordPress. This plugin, widely used to enhance medical-related website functionalities, contains an insecure direct object reference vulnerability in all versions up to and including 1.6.2. The flaw exists in the 'namedical_elementor_template' shortcode, which accepts a user-controlled key parameter without proper validation or authorization checks. As a result, authenticated users with Contributor-level privileges or higher can manipulate this key to access the content of draft, pending, and private posts that should be restricted. This bypasses normal WordPress content access controls, potentially exposing sensitive or unpublished information. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), and only requires privileges equivalent to a Contributor (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact is limited to confidentiality (C:L) without affecting integrity or availability. No patches or official fixes are currently linked, and no known exploits have been observed in the wild. The vulnerability was published on February 4, 2025, and assigned a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.3, indicating medium severity. The root cause is the lack of validation on the user-supplied key parameter, allowing unauthorized data access within the WordPress environment.

The primary impact of this vulnerability is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive content, including draft, pending, and private posts on WordPress sites using the Medical Addon for Elementor plugin. This can lead to premature exposure of unpublished medical or healthcare-related information, potentially violating privacy regulations such as HIPAA or GDPR if personal health information is involved. Organizations may suffer reputational damage, loss of trust, and legal consequences due to data leakage. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach can be significant, especially for healthcare providers, clinics, or medical content publishers relying on this plugin. Since exploitation requires only Contributor-level access, attackers may leverage compromised or insider accounts to escalate data exposure. The medium severity score reflects the moderate risk, but the impact can be amplified in environments with sensitive or regulated data. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability remains a concern until patched.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately review and restrict Contributor-level user permissions to the minimum necessary, ensuring that only trusted users have such access. Implement strict user role management and monitor for suspicious activity from Contributor accounts. Disable or remove the Medical Addon for Elementor plugin if it is not essential. Since no official patch is currently available, consider applying custom access control checks or filters to validate the 'namedical_elementor_template' shortcode parameters, preventing unauthorized key manipulation. Regularly audit WordPress user roles and content access logs to detect potential exploitation attempts. Stay informed about vendor updates and apply patches promptly once released. Additionally, consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting unauthorized shortcode parameter manipulation. Educate site administrators about the risks of granting elevated privileges and enforce strong authentication mechanisms to reduce the risk of account compromise.