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Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2024-11443

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
The de:branding plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the debranding_save() function in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to update arbitrary options on the WordPress site. This can be leveraged to update the default role for registration to administrator and enable user registration for attackers to gain administrative user access to a vulnerable site.

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 de:branding WordPress plugin versions up to 1.0.2 contains a broken access control vulnerability where the debranding_save() function lacks proper capability checks. This allows any authenticated user with subscriber-level permissions or higher to modify arbitrary WordPress options. Attackers can exploit this by changing the default_registration_role to Administrator and enabling user_registration, then registering a new admin account to gain full site control.

MitigationUpdate the de:branding plugin to a patched version once available, or remove the plugin entirely if not essential. If continued use is required, implement proper capability checks (manage_options or similar) on the debranding_save() function and validate user permissions before allowing option updates.

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
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. Verify de:branding plugin is installed
    Check your WordPress plugins directory or use wp-cli: wp plugin list --name='debranding' or inspect the plugin files for a version header in the main plugin file.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active in WordPress.
  2. Determine installed plugin version
    Open the main plugin file (typically debranding.php or similar) and locate the version comment/header, or query via WordPress admin plugins page.
    Affected if The version is 1.0.2 or lower, placing it within the affected range.
  3. Confirm debranding_save function is accessible
    Inspect the plugin source code for the debranding_save() function and verify it lacks capability checks (such as 'manage_options' or 'administrator' role verification) before processing option updates.
    Affected if The function exists and performs option updates without verifying user capabilities.
  4. Review user registration configuration
    Navigate to WordPress Settings > General > Membership, or query wp_options table for 'users_can_register' and 'default_role' values.
    Affected if User registration is enabled and default_registration_role is set to Administrator.
  5. Audit administrator accounts
    Query the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables, or use wp-cli: wp user list --role=administrator, to list all admin accounts and verify they are expected.
    Affected if Unexpected administrator accounts exist, especially those created recently or by unknown users.

You are affected if the de:branding plugin version 1.0.2 or lower is installed, the vulnerable debranding_save() function lacks capability checks, and either user registration settings have been altered or unauthorized administrator accounts exist.

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

Update the de:branding plugin to a patched version once available, or remove the plugin entirely if not essential. If continued use is required, implement proper capability checks (manage_options or similar) on the debranding_save() function and validate user permissions before allowing option updates.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2024-11443 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
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