CVE-2024-11848

NitroPack <= 1.17.0 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Limited Options Update

2025-01-14 00:00
Sean Murphy

Strategic Overview

At a glance

CVE-2024-11848 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the NitroPack WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.17.0. It carries a CVSS score of 8.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.17.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2025, reported by Sean Murphy.

Vulnerability Overview

The NitroPack plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'nitropack_dismiss_notice_forever' AJAX action in all versions up to, and including, 1.17.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to update arbitrary options to a fixed value of '1' which can activate certain options (e.g., enable user registration) or modify certain options in a way that leads to a denial of service condition.

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 integrity, availability.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

NitroPack <= 1.17.0 carries this weakness at nitropack_dismiss_notice_forever, and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For NitroPack the fix is 1.17.6: builds <= 1.17.0 are affected, anything from 1.17.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.17.6, 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: NitroPack 1.17.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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