CVE-2024-22303

Houzez <= 3.2.4 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation

2024-09-17 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.3.0
Affected Theme: Houzez
Affected Version: <= 3.2.4
CVSS: 8.8High
Weakness type: CWE-266 · Incorrect Privilege Assignment
CVE: CVE-2024-22303

At a glance

CVE-2024-22303 is a high-severity Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability in the Houzez WordPress theme, affecting versions <= 3.2.4. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 3.3.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2024, reported by luc.

Vulnerability Overview

The Houzez theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 3.2.4. This is due to the houzez_ajax_password_reset function not properly verifying a user's identity prior to reseting a password. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to gain administrative access to vulnerable sites.

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-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 3.3.0, 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: Houzez 3.3.0 closes this, and updating the theme is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-22303 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/08f8606a-d590-4836-b634-fa9bd3e59bf4 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-22303

Related records

Same weakness class

9.8CVE-2023-26540: Houzez <= 2.7.1 Privilege EscalationCVE-2023-26540

Other vulnerabilities in Houzez

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

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/