CVE-2024-12140 is an information exposure vulnerability classified under CWE-200, found in the Elementor Addons AI Addons – 70 Widgets, Premium Templates, Ultimate Elements WordPress plugin. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 2.2.1 and arises from insufficient access control in the plugin's render function. Specifically, the plugin fails to properly restrict which templates can be included and rendered, allowing authenticated users with Contributor-level permissions or higher to access private or draft templates that should be inaccessible to them. This unauthorized access can lead to the disclosure of sensitive template data, potentially including proprietary design elements or confidential content stored within these templates. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication and does not impact the integrity or availability of the system, focusing solely on confidentiality. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3, indicating medium severity, with an attack vector of network, low attack complexity, privileges required at the contributor level, no user interaction, and unchanged scope. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a risk to organizations relying on this plugin for website design and content management. The flaw highlights the importance of strict access control enforcement in WordPress plugins that handle sensitive content rendering.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-12140 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information contained within private or draft templates in the affected WordPress plugin. For organizations, this could mean exposure of proprietary design data, confidential marketing materials, or other sensitive content that could be leveraged by attackers for competitive intelligence or further social engineering attacks. While the vulnerability does not allow modification or deletion of data, the confidentiality breach can undermine trust and potentially lead to reputational damage. Since exploitation requires authenticated access at the Contributor level or above, the threat is more significant in environments with weak user access management or where contributor accounts are shared or compromised. The vulnerability could be exploited by malicious insiders or attackers who have gained contributor credentials. Given WordPress's widespread use globally, especially among small to medium businesses and content creators, the scope of affected systems is substantial. However, the lack of known exploits and the medium severity score suggest the immediate risk is moderate but should not be ignored.

To mitigate CVE-2024-12140, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Immediately audit and restrict Contributor-level access to trusted users only, minimizing the number of accounts with such privileges. 2) Monitor and review user activity logs for suspicious access to private or draft templates. 3) If possible, temporarily disable or remove the affected Elementor Addons AI Addons plugin until a vendor patch is released. 4) Follow the vendor's announcements closely and apply security updates promptly once available. 5) Employ WordPress security plugins that enforce stricter access controls and template rendering policies. 6) Educate content creators and contributors about the risks of sharing credentials and the importance of strong authentication practices. 7) Consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users with elevated privileges to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 8) Regularly back up website content and configurations to enable recovery in case of any related incidents. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control tightening, monitoring, and proactive plugin management specific to this vulnerability.