AI enriched 20 days ago (2026-04-09 09:00 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Banhammer – Monitor Site Traffic, Block Bad Users and Bots plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Blocking Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.4.8. This is due to a site-wide “secret key” being deterministically generated from a constant character set using md5() and base64_encode() and then stored in the `banhammer_secret_key` option. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to bypass the plugin’s logging and blocking by appending a GET parameter named `banhammer-process_{SECRET}` where `{SECRET}` is the predictable…

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 5.3). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on remote code execution potential, low-bar exploit prerequisites.

Primary risk drivers: remote code execution potential, low-bar exploit prerequisites

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.