Researchers at Defiant authored the popular Wordfence security solution for WordPress users and they have detected a massive campaign that has seen hackers actively scanning for websites employing the Kaswara Modern WPBakery Page Builder plugin.

The plugin was recently abandoned by the creative team behind it before receiving a patch for a critical security flaw.

The flaw, tracked as CVE-2021-24284 would allow an attacker to inject a malicious Javascript into any site using any version of the plugin, which would allow the uploading and deletion of files that could easily lead to a complete takeover of the site targeted.

What makes this campaign so impressive is the fact that the hackers have scanned more than a million and a half sites so far, searching for vulnerable targets.  Fortunately, only a tiny percentage of sites scanned have been running the vulnerable plugin.

Based on the data collected, the campaign appears to have started on July 4th of 2022, and is ongoing to this day.  The attacks originate from more than ten thousand unique IP addresses, indicating a large, organized group of attackers. The identity of the group behind the campaign is not known at this time.

The bottom line here is simple.  If you are running this plugin, we recommend stopping immediately and uninstalling it. Since it has been abandoned by its authors, there’s no fix coming and no matter how helpful it may have been to you, it’s just not worth the risk.

Even if some other group adopts the plugin later, there’s no telling how long it might take for that to happen. Even if it did, there’s no way to know how long it might take them to develop a patch for it.  For now then, your best bet is to treat this plugin as toxic and steer clear of it.

Related Posts - TKS Blog

TKS Newsletter - 2025 February
Here's our February 2025 Newsletter Read the full PDF version here: The TKS Sentinel - February Issue In this month's edition, we discuss: Work-Specific Tools Windows 11...
Read more
common password mistakes
Password Management Tips For Businesses
Is Your Business Cyber Secure? Passwords are the front line of defense against cyberattacks. Yet, most businesses still struggle with password security—whether it’s employees using weak...
Read more
tech news updates jan 2025
TKS Newsletter - 2025 January
Here's our January 2025 Newsletter Read the full PDF version here: The TKS Sentinel - January Issue In this month's edition, we discuss: New Tech Tools Malicious...
Read more
Managed IT Services Pricing
Managed IT Services Pricing Explained
  Understanding managed IT services pricing is crucial for business owners, as multiple variables can affect the final cost. The global managed services market is...
Read more

Used with permission from Article Aggregator