dbcve.org
Xstore CoreWordPress extension · 8theme

CVE-2024-33552

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.3.9 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in 8theme XStore Core allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects XStore Core: from n/a through 5.3.8.

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 · moderate confidence

Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in 8theme XStore Core allows an authenticated user (or possibly unauthenticated attacker) to escalate privileges beyond what their role should permit. This is a critical authorization bypass where the application fails to properly validate user capabilities before performing privileged operations.

MitigationUpdate XStore Core to the latest version once available. Until then, restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only, disable unused XStore AJAX actions via hooks, and monitor for suspicious user role changes or unauthorized administrative accounts.

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
Xstore CoreWordPress extension
Affected:< 5.3.9

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 XStore Core is installed
    Check your WordPress installation for the XStore Core plugin/theme. In wp-admin, go to Plugins or Appearance > Theme Settings and look for XStore Core. Alternatively, check for the directory /wp-content/themes/xstore or /wp-content/plugins/xstore-core/
    Affected if XStore Core is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed version number
    In WordPress admin, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins > XStore Core and read the version number. Alternatively, check the main plugin file header or theme style.css for the Version: field
    Affected if Version is lower than 5.3.9 (e.g., 5.3.8, 5.3.7, etc.)
  3. Inspect enabled XStore AJAX actions
    Review your theme's functions.php or any custom XStore-related PHP files for AJAX action hooks (add_action('wp_ajax_...')) that handle user management or role changes. Also check /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php for exposed XStore-related actions
    Affected if AJAX actions related to user role management, user creation, or capability modification are accessible without proper capability checks
  4. Review user accounts for unauthorized admins
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and examine the list for unexpected administrator accounts. Cross-reference with known personnel. Also check wp_users and wp_usermeta tables directly for any users with wp_capabilities meta_value showing administrator role added recently
    Affected if New or unexpected administrator accounts exist that were not created by known admins
  5. Check activity logs for privilege escalation events
    If activity logging plugins are installed, review logs for events such as user role changes, capability modifications, or user creation occurring outside normal admin workflows. Also check WordPress audit logs or server access logs for repeated POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with XStore-related action parameters
    Affected if Logs show user role changes or privilege escalation events that were not initiated by legitimate administrators

You are affected if XStore Core version is installed and is lower than 5.3.9, and either XStore AJAX actions handling user roles are exposed or unauthorized admin accounts exist in the system.

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 5.3.9 or later
Fixed in 5.3.9
Interim mitigation

Update XStore Core to the latest version once available. Until then, restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only, disable unused XStore AJAX actions via hooks, and monitor for suspicious user role changes or unauthorized administrative accounts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Xstore Core 5.3.9

  1. 1. Create a complete backup of your WordPress site, including database and all files
  2. 2. Download Xstore Core version 5.3.9 from your 8theme account or theme provider
  3. 3. Navigate to WordPress Admin > Appearance > Themes (or Plugins, depending on how Xstore Core is installed)
  4. 4. Deactivate the current Xstore Core theme/plugin
  5. 5. Upload and install the updated Xstore Core 5.3.9 version
  6. 6. Reactivate the theme/plugin after installation
  7. 7. Clear any caching systems and verify the site functions correctly
  8. 8. Test that the privilege escalation vulnerability is no longer present

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

Fix this in Xstore Core Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2024-33552 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