CVE-2024-9707 is a critical security vulnerability identified in the Hunk Companion plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.8.4. The vulnerability arises from a missing authorization check (CWE-862) on the REST API endpoint /wp-json/hc/v1/themehunk-import. This endpoint allows plugin installation and activation commands but does not verify whether the requester has the necessary permissions. Consequently, unauthenticated attackers can exploit this flaw to install and activate arbitrary plugins on the affected WordPress site. Since WordPress plugins can execute PHP code, an attacker can leverage this capability to deploy malicious plugins or activate existing vulnerable plugins to achieve remote code execution (RCE). The vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction, making it highly exploitable remotely over the network. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, reflecting the ease of exploitation and the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the potential for widespread abuse is significant given the popularity of WordPress and the plugin. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper authorization checks on REST API endpoints that perform sensitive operations such as plugin management.

The impact of CVE-2024-9707 is severe for organizations running WordPress sites with the Hunk Companion plugin. An attacker can remotely install and activate arbitrary plugins without any authentication, potentially leading to full site compromise through remote code execution. This can result in data breaches, defacement, malware distribution, or using the compromised site as a pivot point for further network attacks. The integrity and availability of the website are at high risk, and confidential data stored or processed by the site can be exposed or manipulated. For e-commerce, financial, or government websites, the consequences include loss of customer trust, regulatory penalties, and operational disruption. The vulnerability's ease of exploitation and lack of required user interaction make it attractive for automated attacks and mass exploitation campaigns. Organizations that fail to address this vulnerability promptly may face significant reputational damage and financial losses.

To mitigate CVE-2024-9707, organizations should immediately update the Hunk Companion plugin to a version that includes proper authorization checks once available. Until a patch is released, administrators should consider disabling or removing the plugin to eliminate the attack surface. Implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block unauthorized access to the /wp-json/hc/v1/themehunk-import endpoint can help prevent exploitation. Restricting REST API access to authenticated and authorized users only, using IP whitelisting or authentication tokens, can also reduce risk. Regularly auditing installed plugins for vulnerabilities and minimizing the number of active plugins reduces the attack surface. Monitoring logs for suspicious REST API calls and unusual plugin installation activity can provide early detection of exploitation attempts. Finally, maintaining regular backups and having an incident response plan will help recover quickly if compromise occurs.