CVE-2024-1855 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability identified in the WPCafe plugin for WordPress, which provides online food ordering, restaurant menu management, delivery, and reservation functionalities integrated with WooCommerce. The vulnerability exists in the wpc_check_for_submission function and affects all versions up to and including 2.2.23. SSRF vulnerabilities allow attackers to abuse the server to send crafted HTTP requests to arbitrary destinations, potentially accessing internal or protected network resources that are otherwise inaccessible externally. This particular SSRF can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers, meaning no login or user interaction is required, increasing the attack surface. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.3, reflecting medium severity, with the vector indicating network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, no confidentiality impact, limited integrity impact, and no availability impact. While no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability could be leveraged to perform reconnaissance of internal networks, access metadata services, or pivot to other attacks such as SSRF-based data exfiltration or server-side scanning. The plugin is widely used in WordPress environments that manage restaurant and food delivery services, making it a valuable target for attackers aiming to disrupt or infiltrate such businesses.

The primary impact of this SSRF vulnerability is the potential for attackers to make unauthorized requests from the vulnerable server to arbitrary internal or external resources. This can lead to information disclosure, such as accessing internal APIs, cloud metadata services, or sensitive backend systems that are not exposed to the internet. Although the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability, it can be a stepping stone for more severe attacks, including lateral movement within a network, data exfiltration, or exploitation of other internal vulnerabilities. Organizations running affected versions of the WPCafe plugin risk unauthorized internal network reconnaissance and possible compromise of backend services. Given the plugin’s role in managing online food ordering and reservations, exploitation could also disrupt business operations or damage customer trust if combined with other attacks. The medium severity rating reflects the moderate risk, but the ease of exploitation without authentication increases urgency for remediation.

1. Immediate mitigation involves updating the WPCafe plugin to a patched version once released by the vendor. Monitor official themewinter channels for patch announcements. 2. Until a patch is available, implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious SSRF payloads targeting the wpc_check_for_submission function. 3. Restrict outbound HTTP requests from the web server hosting the plugin to only necessary external endpoints, using firewall rules or network segmentation to limit SSRF impact. 4. Monitor server logs and network traffic for unusual outbound requests that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Employ network-level protections such as internal service authentication and IP whitelisting to reduce the risk of internal resource exposure. 6. Conduct security assessments and penetration testing focusing on SSRF vectors in the WordPress environment. 7. Educate development and operations teams about SSRF risks and secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom plugins or integrations.