CVE-2021-24717

AutomatorWP <= 1.7.5 - Privilege Escalation

2021-09-28 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.7.6
Affected Plugin: AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI
Affected Version: < 1.7.6
CVSS: 8.8High
Weakness type: CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE: CVE-2021-24717

View all AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-24717 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the AutomatorWP WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 1.7.6. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 1.7.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2021, reported by apple502j.

Vulnerability Overview

The AutomatorWP WordPress plugin before 1.7.6 does not perform capability checks which allows users with Subscriber roles to enumerate automations, disclose title of private posts or user emails, call functions, or perform privilege escalation via Ajax actions.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management

Reaching this weakness in AutomatorWP < 1.7.6 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper privilege management means the code lets an account end up with capabilities its role should not have.

It converts a low-privileged account into an administrative one, which makes every other restriction on the site irrelevant. For AutomatorWP the fix is 1.7.6: builds < 1.7.6 are affected, anything from 1.7.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.7.6, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: AutomatorWP 1.7.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24717 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/9b95fe0e-4677-4667-9a84-96801b547088 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24717

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI

CVSS Vector

8.8

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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