CVE-2024-13818 is a vulnerability in the WordPress plugin 'Registration Forms – User Registration Forms, Invitation-Based Registrations, Front-end User Profile, Login Form & Content Restriction' developed by genetechproducts. The issue arises from the plugin's improper handling of sensitive user information, which is inserted into log files that are publicly accessible. This exposure allows unauthenticated remote attackers to access potentially sensitive data such as user registration details, login information, or profile data by simply accessing these log files. The vulnerability affects all plugin versions up to and including 3.8.3.9. It is categorized under CWE-532, which relates to the insertion of sensitive information into log files, a common security misconfiguration that can lead to data leakage. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.3, with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N, indicating that the attack can be performed remotely without authentication or user interaction, and impacts confidentiality only. There are no known public exploits at this time, but the exposure of sensitive user data could facilitate further attacks such as social engineering, credential stuffing, or identity theft. The plugin is widely used in WordPress environments for user registration and content restriction, making the vulnerability relevant for many websites relying on this functionality. No official patches or updates have been linked yet, so mitigation currently involves restricting access to logs and monitoring for suspicious activity.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-13818 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user information through publicly accessible log files. This can compromise user privacy and potentially expose personally identifiable information (PII), registration details, or login-related data. Such exposure can facilitate further attacks, including targeted phishing, social engineering, or credential-based attacks against users of affected websites. While the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach can damage organizational reputation, lead to regulatory compliance issues (e.g., GDPR, CCPA), and erode user trust. Organizations operating websites with this plugin are at risk of data leakage without any authentication barrier for attackers, increasing the likelihood of exploitation. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate widespread impact, but the vulnerability remains a significant risk until properly mitigated. The scope includes any WordPress site using the affected plugin versions, which could number in the tens or hundreds of thousands globally.

1. Immediately restrict access to any log files generated by the affected plugin to trusted administrators only, ensuring they are not publicly accessible via the web server. 2. Implement web server configuration rules (e.g., .htaccess for Apache or location blocks for Nginx) to deny external HTTP access to log directories or files. 3. Monitor logs for unusual access patterns or attempts to retrieve log files. 4. Regularly audit the plugin’s logging behavior and sanitize or disable logging of sensitive information where possible. 5. Stay informed about official patches or updates from genetechproducts and apply them promptly once released. 6. Consider temporarily disabling the plugin or replacing it with alternative solutions if immediate patching is not feasible. 7. Educate site administrators about the risks of sensitive data exposure in logs and best practices for secure logging. 8. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) to detect and block suspicious requests targeting log files. 9. Review and enforce least privilege principles for file system permissions on the web server to prevent unauthorized file access. 10. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on information disclosure vulnerabilities.