CVE-2024-13376
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 Industrial theme for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the _ajax_get_total_content_import_items() function in all versions up to, and including, 1.7.8. 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 confidenceThe Industrial WordPress theme lacks a capability check on the _ajax_get_total_content_import_items() AJAX function, allowing any authenticated user with subscriber-level permissions to modify arbitrary WordPress options. Attackers can exploit this to change the default user registration role to administrator and enable user registration, achieving privilege escalation to admin access.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Industrial theme is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Appearance > Themes to confirm the Industrial theme is active. Alternatively, check the theme directory at /wp-content/themes/industrial/ and review style.css for the Theme Name and Version headers.Affected if Industrial theme is active and the version is below 1.7.9 (the version that includes the fix).
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Check for subscriber-level user accountsNavigate to Users > All Users in WordPress admin. Review the list for any users with the Subscriber role, or check user_role meta to enumerate subscriber accounts.Affected if Any subscriber-level user accounts exist in the system.
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Verify the AJAX function is accessible to low-privileged usersInspect the theme's PHP files (typically in functions.php or ajax-handler files) for the _ajax_get_total_content_import_items() function. Check if it includes a capability check (such as current_user_can('manage_options') or similar admin-level permission) before executing. Also test by sending a direct AJAX request with a subscriber-level nonce if accessible.Affected if The function lacks a capability check and executes without verifying user permissions.
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Inspect WordPress user registration settingsGo to Settings > General in WordPress admin and check 'Membership: Anyone can register' and 'New User Default Role' settings. Alternatively, query the wp_options table for 'users_can_register' and 'default_role' values.Affected if User registration is enabled and/or the default role has been changed from the expected setting (typically 'subscriber' or 'contributor') to 'administrator'.
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Review recent option changes via audit logsCheck WordPress activity logs, server access logs, or the wp_options table for recent modifications to sensitive options like 'users_can_register', 'default_role', or admin user capabilities. Look for changes made by unexpected user IDs.Affected if Options were recently modified by low-privilege user accounts or at times/correlations suggesting exploitation.
A user is affected if the Industrial theme below version 1.7.9 is active, subscriber-level users exist, and the vulnerable AJAX function permits option modifications without capability validation.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate the Industrial theme to version 1.7.9 or later which includes proper capability validation on the affected AJAX function.
Industrial theme version 1.7.9 or later (latest version from ThemeForest)
- 1. Obtain the latest version of the Industrial theme from ThemeForest (theme developer should have released a security update)
- 2. Before upgrading, backup your entire WordPress site including database and files
- 3. Deactivate the Industrial theme temporarily via WordPress admin or FTP
- 4. Upload and install the latest version of the Industrial theme
- 5. Reactivate the Industrial theme
- 6. Verify that the theme functions correctly on the front-end and back-end
- 7. Audit WordPress users to ensure no unauthorized administrator accounts were created
- 8. Review option settings (particularly default_role and users_can_register) in WordPress Settings > General to ensure they are set to secure values
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-13376 — 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-2024-13376 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
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- 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