# CVE-2021-24278: Redirection for Contact Form 7 < 2.3.4 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary Nonce Generation

> Unauthenticated attackers can generate valid nonces for any WordPress action, bypassing security checks in the Redirection for Contact Form 7 plugin.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 May 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8xwc-4w4g-wpqp

## What is CVE-2021-24278?

CVE-2021-24278 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Query Solutions Redirection for Contact Form 7, published on 14 May 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Redirection for Contact Form 7 WordPress plugin before 2.3.4, unauthenticated users can use the wpcf7r_get_nonce AJAX action to retrieve a valid nonce for any WordPress action/function.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-24278?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Querysol Redirection for Contact Form 7.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-24278?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-24278 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-24278 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2021-24278 exists.

Public exploit code:

- WordPress Contact Form 7 <2.3.4 - Arbitrary Nonce Generation (nuclei): http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-24278.yaml

## Other vulnerabilities in Query Solutions Redirection for Contact Form 7

- [CVE-2021-24280](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24280/): Redirection for Contact Form 7 < 2.3.4 - Authenticated PHP Object Injection (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-24279](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24279/): Redirection for Contact Form 7 < 2.3.4 - Authenticated Arbitrary Plugin Installation (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2021-24282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24282/): Redirection for Contact Form 7 < 2.3.4 - Unprotected AJAX Actions (medium 6.3)
- [CVE-2021-24281](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24281/): Redirection for Contact Form 7 < 2.3.4 - Authenticated Arbitrary Post Deletion (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-24278 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-24278 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Query Solutions Redirection for Contact Form 7, published on 14 May 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2021-24278 exists.

Affected product: Query Solutions Redirection for Contact Form 7. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24278/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24278/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24278
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24278
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-24278

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24278/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.