WordPress powers a third of all websites, and its popularity keeps increasing. This success stems from its user-friendliness as a content management system, its vast plugin library, and its regularly updated core engine that prioritizes cybersecurity. However, in this article, we’ll uncover the concerning trend of vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins and the associated security risks, and we’ll outline how to safeguard your site against these issues.

WordPress is the target of approximately 80% of all attacks directed at content management systems. Hackers understand that if they can compromise one site, they can get control over many others using the same methods. This is a logical assumption, considering WordPress powers 500 million websites.

Plugin Vulnerabilities: A Growing Concern

Recent research reveals a significant surge in security vulnerabilities found within WordPress plugins. These plugins, designed to enhance website functionality, have ironically become the weak point for many online platforms. From SEO tools to contact forms, no plugin type is immune to these security flaws.

Why This Poses a Serious Threat

The ramifications of these vulnerabilities are substantial. Hackers can exploit them to gain unauthorized entry to websites, steal confidential information, spread malware, and even seize control of entire sites. Businesses face the loss of customer trust, revenue, and potentially severe legal repercussions. Let’s delve deeper into these WordPress plugin vulnerabilities, the security risks they present, and how to protect your site.

The Vulnerability of WordPress Plugins

Hackers deploy bots that scour WordPress sites armed with pre-built hacking tools. Without robust protection, it’s a matter of time before your site is targeted and compromised through known vulnerabilities. Moreover, if your site attracts the attention of a specific hacker, they may attempt a manual attack. Defending against these requires more sophisticated security measures.

Website security is paramount for any online presence. While the core WordPress engine is generally well-protected, the same cannot be apply to myriads for third-party plugins. Vulnerable plugins can be exploited for relatively minor issues like adware and redirects, but many attacks aim to completely hijack your website.

Security experts at Wordfence.com have pinpointed several serious vulnerabilities across five WordPress plugins, with a combined installation base exceeding one million.

GDPR Cookie Consent: A Case Study in WordPress Plugin Risk

This plugin boasts over a million installations. The vulnerability it carries has a severity rating of 9 out of 10 (CVSS). It allows authenticated users with subscriber-level access to delete or hide (by changing the status to an unpublished draft) any page on a site, and even replace content on vulnerable pages. A fix for this vulnerability is available in Release 1.8.3.

ThemeGrill Demo Importer Plugin: When WordPress Plugins Become Vulnerable

This plugin has an install base of over 100,000. Attacks targeting sites using this plugin surged after information about its vulnerability became public, leading to a downward revision of its install numbers. This vulnerability enables visitors to erase the contents of a site’s database and revert it to a freshly installed state.

If a database contains an ‘Admin’ user, the vulnerability can also be used to gain complete control of the site. This weakness stemmed from an attempt to authenticate a user trying to escalate privileges via the /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php script. Version 1.6.2 addressed this issue, showcasing a solution for WordPress plugin vulnerabilities, security risks, and site protection.

ThemeREX Addons Plugin Vulnerability

Present on 44,000 websites, this plugin’s vulnerability carries a severity rating of 9.8 out of 10. It allows unauthenticated users to execute their own PHP code on the server and potentially hijack the site administrator’s account by sending a crafted request through the REST-API. There have been documented cases of this vulnerability being exploited. An update released in late February fixed this problem, offering a solution for WordPress plugin vulnerabilities.

The Case of the wpCentral Plugin

This plugin, found on 60,000 websites, has a vulnerability with a threat level of 8.8 out of 10. It allows any authenticated visitor, even those with subscriber-level access, to elevate their privileges to administrator status and access the wpCentral control panel. Plugin developers have since resolved this problem in version 1.5.1.

Profile Builder Plugin Vulnerability

With approximately 65,000 installations, this plugin’s vulnerability is rated a critical 10 out of 10 on the threat level scale. It enables unauthenticated users to create accounts with administrative privileges. This vulnerability exploits the plugin’s registration form creation feature, allowing users to include an extra field that assigns administrator rights. This issue was addressed in version 3.1.1.

Beyond Individual Plugins: A Broader Threat Landscape

In addition to individual plugin vulnerabilities, security researchers have uncovered a network distributing infected WordPress plugins and themes. Attackers disguised pirated versions of premium plugins on fake directory sites, embedding backdoors to grant remote access and download commands from a hacker-controlled command server. Upon activation, the malicious code injects deceptive or harmful ads, like warnings prompting antivirus installations or browser updates.

This operation also utilizes search engine optimization techniques to boost the rankings of sites distributing these malicious plugins. Data suggests that over 20,000 sites have been compromised using these plugins. Victims include a decentralized mining platform, a trading firm, a bank, several large corporations, a credit card payments solutions developer, IT companies, and more.

Reducing the Risk of WordPress Vulnerabilities

The good news is that both website owners and developers can take action to minimize these risks. Regular updates to plugins and WordPress itself are essential, as these often include security patches.

Furthermore, website owners should implement the principle of least privilege, only granting necessary permissions to plugins. Developers, on the other hand, should follow security best practices like input sanitization and regular code audits.

WordPress Plugin Vulnerabilities: A Call to Action

To maintain a secure WordPress site, vigilance is key. Regularly review and monitor all installed plugins. Consider removing non-essential plugins to reduce the potential attack surface. Most importantly, keep all plugins and WordPress itself updated to benefit from the latest security enhancements.