CVE-2024-7493

WPCOM Member <= 1.5.2.1 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via User Meta

2024-09-06 01:15
wesley (wcraft)

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.5.3
Affected Plugin
WPCOM Member
Affected Version
<= 1.5.2.1
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE
CVE-2024-7493
View all WPCOM Member vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-7493 is a critical-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the WPCOM Member WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.5.2.1. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.5.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2024, reported by wesley (wcraft).

Vulnerability Overview

The WPCOM Member plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.5.2.1. This is due to the plugin allowing arbitrary data to be passed to wp_insert_user() during registration. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update their role to that of an administrator during registration.

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 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-269: Improper Privilege Management

WPCOM Member <= 1.5.2.1 carries this weakness at wp_insert_user(), and reaching it takes no account at all. 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 WPCOM Member the fix is 1.5.3: builds <= 1.5.2.1 are affected, anything from 1.5.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.5.3, 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: WPCOM Member 1.5.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-7493https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ec7f3e0c-a07c-4082-9b6b-12d0fbe0fdc8https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-7493

Related records

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