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WpdatatablesWordPress extension · Tms Outsource

CVE-2021-24197

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.4.2 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The wpDataTables – Tables & Table Charts premium WordPress plugin before 3.4.2 has Improper Access Control. A low privilege authenticated user that visits the page where the table is published can tamper the parameters to access the data of another user that are present in the same table by taking over the user permissions on the table through formdata[wdt_ID] parameter. By exploiting this issue an attacker is able to access and manage the data of all users in the same table.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The wpDataTables premium WordPress plugin before version 3.4.2 has an improper access control vulnerability where a low-privilege authenticated user can access data belonging to other users in the same table. The vulnerability stems from trusting the client-supplied formdata[wdt_ID] parameter without proper server-side validation of user permissions, allowing privilege escalation through parameter tampering.

MitigationUpgrade to wpDataTables version 3.4.2 or later which contains proper access control checks. Until patched, limit table access to trusted users only.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
WpdatatablesWordPress extension
Affected:< 3.4.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify wpDataTables plugin is installed
    Log into WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'wpDataTables' or 'wpDataTables Premium' in the list of active plugins.
    Affected if The plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed wpDataTables version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Find wpDataTables and locate the version number displayed under the plugin name. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file header for the Version constant.
    Affected if Version is lower than 3.4.2 (e.g., 3.4.1, 3.4.0, 3.3.x, etc.)
  3. Confirm table data functionality is accessible to low-privilege users
    Review WordPress user roles and capabilities. Check if any user role other than Administrator has access to wpDataTables functionality. Test by logging in as a low-privilege user (e.g., Editor, Author, Subscriber) and attempt to access a wpDataTable.
    Affected if Low-privilege users (Subscriber, Contributor, Author, or Editor roles) have access to view table data
  4. Inspect for wdt_ID parameter handling
    Use browser developer tools or a proxy (like Burp Suite) to intercept requests when a user accesses a wpDataTable. Look for requests containing a 'wdt_ID' or 'formdata[wdt_ID]' parameter in the request body or URL.
    Affected if The application accepts and processes wdt_ID parameters from client-side requests without visible server-side permission checks

A user is affected if wpDataTables version is below 3.4.2 AND low-privilege authenticated users can access table data through the wdt_ID parameter without proper ownership verification.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.4.2 or later
Fixed in 3.4.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to wpDataTables version 3.4.2 or later which contains proper access control checks. Until patched, limit table access to trusted users only.

Fix this in Wpdatatables Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-24197 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data