CVE-2024-37496

themedropbox Themes <= Various Versions - Missing Authorization to Notice Dismissal

2024-07-04 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.3.8
Affected Theme: Metro Magazine
Affected Version: <= 1.3.7
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2024-37496

At a glance

CVE-2024-37496 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Metro Magazine WordPress theme, affecting versions <= 1.3.7. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 1.3.8; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2024, reported by Dhabaleshwar Das.

Vulnerability Overview

Multiple themes for WordPress by themedropbox are vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on variations of the _update_admin_notice function in various versions. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to dismiss admin notices. CVE-2024-37508 should be a part of this CVE.

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.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Metro Magazine <= 1.3.7 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. 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 Metro Magazine the fix is 1.3.8: builds <= 1.3.7 are affected, anything from 1.3.8 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.3.8, 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: Metro Magazine 1.3.8 closes this, and updating the theme is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-37496 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/4ba3c70a-967f-4dc9-aaac-d13b11eb4711 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-37496

Related records

Same weakness class

5.3CVE-2026-40809: Metro Magazine <= 1.4.1 Missing AuthorizationCVE-2026-40809

CVSS Vector

4.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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