CVE-2024-12295 is a critical vulnerability identified in the BoomBox Theme Extensions plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to 1.8.0. The root cause is a weak password recovery mechanism categorized under CWE-640, where the plugin does not adequately verify the identity of users requesting password resets via the 'boombox_ajax_reset_password' AJAX function. This improper validation allows any authenticated user with subscriber-level privileges or higher to reset the passwords of arbitrary users, including those with administrative privileges. Consequently, an attacker can escalate privileges by taking over administrator accounts, leading to full control over the affected WordPress site. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without user interaction, requiring only low-level authenticated access. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 reflects the vulnerability's high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as attackers can gain unauthorized access, modify critical data, and disrupt service. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the ease of exploitation and the widespread use of WordPress and its themes make this a significant threat. The vulnerability was published on March 19, 2025, and is tracked by Wordfence and the CVE database. No official patches have been linked yet, emphasizing the need for immediate attention from site administrators.

The impact of CVE-2024-12295 is substantial for organizations using the BoomBox Theme Extensions plugin on WordPress sites. Successful exploitation allows attackers with minimal privileges to escalate to administrator-level access by resetting arbitrary user passwords. This can lead to full site compromise, including unauthorized data access, content manipulation, deployment of malicious code, and disruption of services. For businesses relying on WordPress for e-commerce, content management, or customer engagement, such a breach could result in data breaches, reputational damage, financial loss, and regulatory penalties. The vulnerability's network accessibility and lack of user interaction requirements increase the risk of automated or targeted attacks. Additionally, compromised administrative accounts can be used to pivot to other internal systems or launch further attacks, amplifying the threat's scope. Given WordPress's global popularity, the potential impact spans small blogs to large enterprise websites, making timely mitigation critical.

To mitigate CVE-2024-12295, organizations should immediately verify if they are using the BoomBox Theme Extensions plugin version 1.8.0 or earlier and plan for an upgrade once a patched version is released. Until then, consider disabling the plugin or restricting access to the password reset functionality via web application firewalls or custom access controls. Implement strict monitoring and alerting for suspicious password reset activities, especially those initiated by low-privilege users. Enforce strong authentication policies, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrator accounts, to reduce the risk of account takeover. Review and audit user privileges regularly to limit subscriber-level accounts and remove unnecessary users. Additionally, consider applying custom code patches or filters to validate user identity more robustly before password resets if feasible. Maintain regular backups and have an incident response plan ready to address potential compromises. Stay informed through vendor advisories and security communities for updates and patches.