dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2024-10861

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the deactivate_plugin_option() function in all versions up to, and including, 4.9.7. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update the 'ays_pb_upgrade_plugin' option with arbitrary data.

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 Popup Box WordPress plugin lacks proper capability validation on the deactivate_plugin_option() function, allowing unauthenticated users to update the 'ays_pb_upgrade_plugin' database option with arbitrary data. This broken access control vulnerability could allow attackers to modify plugin settings or potentially store malicious values depending on how the option is processed.

MitigationUpdate to version 4.9.8 or later which implements proper capability checks. Until patched, consider disabling the plugin or deploying a WAF rule to block requests to the vulnerable endpoint.

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

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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 Popup Box plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Popup Box' plugin, or check the plugin directory (wp-content/plugins/popup-box) for existence. Note the installed version number.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the version is below 4.9.8
  2. Check the plugin version against the patched release
    Compare your installed version to 4.9.8. You can find the version in the plugin header comment in popup-box.php, or via WP-CLI: wp plugin list --name=popup-box
    Affected if Your installed version is lower than 4.9.8 (e.g., 4.9.7, 4.9.6, etc.)
  3. Inspect the database option ays_pb_upgrade_plugin
    Query the wp_options table for the option_name 'ays_pb_upgrade_plugin' using: SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'ays_pb_upgrade_plugin'; (adjust wp_ prefix if different). Examine the option_value for unexpected or suspicious content.
    Affected if The option contains value(s) you did not intentionally set, or contains encoded/serialized data you do not recognize
  4. Review access logs for requests to the vulnerable endpoint
    Check your web server access logs (Apache/Nginx) for POST requests to admin-ajax.php or similar endpoints that trigger deactivate_plugin_option(), especially from unauthenticated IP addresses (status 200 responses without prior WordPress login).
    Affected if There are requests to the vulnerable function from unauthenticated sources that you did not initiate

You are affected if the Popup Box plugin is installed with a version below 4.9.8 and the ays_pb_upgrade_plugin option shows unexpected modifications.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to version 4.9.8 or later which implements proper capability checks. Until patched, consider disabling the plugin or deploying a WAF rule to block requests to the vulnerable endpoint.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 4.9.8 or later of the Popup Box plugin

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find the 'Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups' plugin
  4. Click 'Update now' if an update is available, or manually update to version 4.9.8 or higher
  5. Verify the plugin is running version 4.9.8 or later after updating

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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-2024-10861 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