dbcve.org
Store Locator PlusWordPress extension · De Baat

CVE-2021-24289

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.5.14 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
There is functionality in the Store Locator Plus for WordPress plugin through 5.5.14 that made it possible for authenticated users to update their user meta data to become an administrator on any site using the plugin.

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 Store Locator Plus WordPress plugin (versions through 5.5.14) contained an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability that allowed any authenticated user to modify their own user meta data. This improper authorization flaw enabled low-privileged users (such as subscribers) to escalate their privileges to administrator by directly manipulating user role metadata.

MitigationUpdate Store Locator Plus to version 5.5.15 or later. Additionally, audit user accounts that were created during the vulnerable period and revoke any unauthorized administrative privileges that may have been granted.

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
Store Locator PlusWordPress extension
Affected:<= 5.5.14

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
High

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

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. Check if Store Locator Plus plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Store Locator Plus' or 'De Baat Store Locator Plus' in the list of active plugins
    Affected if The plugin appears in the installed plugins list
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    Click on the plugin name in the WordPress plugins list to view its details, or check the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/store-locator-le/ or similar path for the 'Version' field
    Affected if The version number displayed is 5.5.14 or lower
  3. Verify user account roles in the database
    Query the WordPress usermeta table (usually wp_usermeta) for meta_key 'wp_capabilities' and inspect which users have 'administrator' value. Cross-reference with expected admin accounts
    Affected if Subscriber-level or low-privilege users are found with administrator roles in the metadata
  4. Review recent user metadata changes
    Check the wp_usermeta table for suspicious modifications to role-related meta_keys (wp_capabilities, wp_user_level) especially for non-admin users
    Affected if User metadata shows unexpected role assignments for accounts that should not have elevated privileges
  5. Audit user accounts created during vulnerable period
    Query the wp_users table for accounts created around the time the plugin was active (check user_registered field) and verify their intended purpose
    Affected if Newly created user accounts with administrator roles exist but were not created by known administrators

If Store Locator Plus version 5.5.14 or lower is installed, or if low-privilege users have unexpected administrator roles in the database, the environment is affected by this IDOR vulnerability.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.5.14
Interim mitigation

Update Store Locator Plus to version 5.5.15 or later. Additionally, audit user accounts that were created during the vulnerable period and revoke any unauthorized administrative privileges that may have been granted.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Any version newer than 5.5.14 (upgrade to the latest available version on wordpress.org)

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find Store Locator Plus in the plugin list
  4. Check if the current version is 5.5.14 or lower
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. After update, verify the new version number in the plugins list

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Store Locator Plus Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-24289 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