dbcve.org
Information ExposureWeakness · CWE-200

CVE-2024-11280

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The PPWP – Password Protect Pages plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.5 via the WordPress core search feature. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to extract sensitive data from posts that have been restricted to higher-level roles such as administrator.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The PPWP plugin for WordPress fails to properly filter search results, allowing unauthenticated attackers to retrieve sensitive content from posts protected for higher-level roles (e.g., administrator) through the WordPress core search feature. This bypasses the plugin's role-based password protection mechanism.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to the latest version if available, or audit and restrict WordPress search indexing of password-protected content until a patch is released. Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if sensitive data is at immediate risk.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if PPWP plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Password Protect WordPress' or 'PPWP' plugin. Note the installed version number displayed.
    Affected if The PPWP plugin is installed and active on the WordPress site.
  2. Check installed PPWP version
    View the plugin file header (typically in ppw.php or the main plugin file) or check the plugins page in WordPress admin for the version number.
    Affected if Running any version of the plugin where the vulnerability is present (compare your installed version to the affected ranges if known).
  3. Identify password-protected content
    In WordPress admin, go to Posts > All Posts and look for posts with password protection enabled. Check PPWP settings for role-based protection rules.
    Affected if There are posts protected with PPWP password protection that contain sensitive content.
  4. Verify WordPress search behavior on protected content
    Perform a test search on the site frontend using a term that exists in password-protected content. Attempt to access protected posts through search results without authenticating.
    Affected if Search results return content or excerpts from posts protected for higher-level roles without requiring password authentication.

If PPWP plugin is installed and password-protected content exists, test search indexing; if unauthenticated search reveals protected content, the site is affected by this bypass.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the plugin to the latest version if available, or audit and restrict WordPress search indexing of password-protected content until a patch is released. Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if sensitive data is at immediate risk.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version on WordPress plugin repository (verify version >1.9.5)

  1. Check the WordPress plugin repository for the latest version of the PPWP (Password Protect Pages) plugin
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin in WordPress admin
  3. Upload and install the latest version of the plugin
  4. Test that password protection functionality still works as expected after the update
  5. Verify that the WordPress core search feature no longer returns protected content to unauthenticated users

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-11280 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data