The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-6751 affects the Social Auto Poster plugin developed by WPWeb for WordPress, specifically versions up to and including 5.3.14. This plugin is designed to automate social media posting from WordPress sites. The root cause of the vulnerability is the absence or incorrect implementation of nonce validation, which is a security mechanism used in WordPress to protect against Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks. CSRF attacks occur when an attacker tricks an authenticated user into submitting a forged request, but in this case, the vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to exploit the plugin’s functions directly. The affected functions allow modification of post metadata and plugin options, which can lead to unauthorized changes in site content and configuration. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without any authentication, but requires user interaction (e.g., visiting a malicious link). The CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.3 reflects a medium severity, with attack vector network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:L/I:L/A:L). No patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, but the risk remains significant due to the potential for unauthorized content manipulation and configuration changes that could degrade site functionality or trustworthiness.

The impact of this vulnerability on organizations worldwide can be considerable, particularly for those relying on the Social Auto Poster plugin to manage social media content. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to alter or delete post metadata, potentially disrupting automated social media campaigns, damaging brand reputation, or spreading misinformation. Unauthorized changes to plugin options could also degrade site functionality or introduce further security weaknesses. The compromise of content integrity and availability can lead to loss of user trust, reduced traffic, and potential financial losses. Since the vulnerability requires no authentication, attackers can target a broad range of sites indiscriminately. Organizations with high web presence, especially those using WordPress extensively for content management and social media integration, face elevated risks. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate widespread damage, but the vulnerability remains a viable attack vector for opportunistic or targeted attackers.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should first verify if they are using the Social Auto Poster plugin version 5.3.14 or earlier and upgrade to a patched version as soon as it becomes available from WPWeb. Until a patch is released, administrators can implement several practical mitigations: (1) Disable or deactivate the Social Auto Poster plugin if it is not essential to reduce the attack surface. (2) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the plugin’s endpoints, especially those attempting to modify post meta or plugin options. (3) Restrict access to WordPress admin and plugin-related URLs via IP whitelisting or VPN access to limit exposure. (4) Monitor WordPress logs for unusual POST requests or changes to post metadata and plugin settings. (5) Educate users to avoid clicking on suspicious links that could trigger CSRF attacks. (6) Implement security plugins that enforce nonce validation or add additional CSRF protections. These steps provide layered defense until an official patch is applied.