CVE-2024-50550

LiteSpeed Cache <= 6.5.1 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation

2024-10-29 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 6.5.2
Affected Plugin: LiteSpeed Cache
Affected Version: <= 6.5.1
CVSS: 8.1High
Weakness type: CWE-266 · Incorrect Privilege Assignment
CVE: CVE-2024-50550

View all LiteSpeed Cache vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-50550 is a high-severity Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability in the LiteSpeed Cache WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 6.5.1. It carries a CVSS score of 8.1 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 6.5.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2024, reported by TaiYou.

Vulnerability Overview

The LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in all versions up to, and including, 6.5.1. This is due to the is_role_simulation() function not properly providing protection against unauthorized use of the function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to simulate roles such as administrators which provides elevated access to the site. Please note there are a lot of pre-requisites for this to be exploitable.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment

A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

Remediation

Update to version 6.5.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

This one needs no account at all, which puts it outside what login hardening can reach; WordSec's login security narrows the account-level paths around it, and the firewall is what inspects the request itself. None of that substitutes for the fix: LiteSpeed Cache 6.5.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-50550 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/91365d3b-8e93-4202-8d44-9d217aaae0a4 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-50550

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in LiteSpeed Cache

CVSS Vector

8.1

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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