CVE-2024-11976
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 · uneditedThe The BuddyPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 14.3.3. This is due to the software allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes.
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 confidenceThe BuddyPress WordPress plugin contains an action that does not properly validate user input before passing it to the do_shortcode() function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary WordPress shortcodes. This can lead to various attacks depending on what shortcodes are registered on the site.
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
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm BuddyPress plugin is installedCheck the wp-content/plugins/ directory for the buddypress folder, or view installed plugins in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed PluginsAffected if The BuddyPress plugin is present in the WordPress installation
-
Identify installed BuddyPress versionOpen the main plugin file (buddypress.php) and locate the Version header in the plugin comments, or check the version column in WordPress admin Plugins listAffected if Version information cannot be determined or is below 14.3.4
-
Compare version to affected rangeCompare the installed version number to 14.3.4 using standard version comparisonAffected if Installed version is lower than 14.3.4 (e.g., 14.3.3, 14.2.0, etc.)
-
Verify shortcodes are registered on the siteSearch codebase for add_shortcode() function calls, or check active plugins and theme for registered shortcode handlersAffected if Any shortcodes are registered (the vulnerability impact scales with the number and privilege level of available shortcodes)
The environment is affected if BuddyPress is installed with a version lower than 14.3.4 and the site has any shortcodes registered, since unauthenticated attackers could exploit the do_shortcode() call through the vulnerable action.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate BuddyPress to version 14.3.4 or later to patch the arbitrary shortcode execution vulnerability. Additionally, consider restricting shortcode execution capabilities and monitoring for suspicious shortcode-related activity.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-11976 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-11976 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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