dbcve.org
DefenderWordPress extension · Wpmudev

CVE-2024-37444

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.7.3 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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WPMU DEV - Your All-in-One WordPress Platform Defender Security defender-security.This issue affects Defender Security: from n/a through <= 4.7.1.

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

Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Defender Security WordPress plugin allows attackers to access certain functionality without proper authorization checks. The critical CVSS score of 9.8 suggests this can be exploited without authentication, potentially allowing unauthorized users to access security-related functions or data.

MitigationUpdate Defender Security plugin to version 4.7.2 or later to apply the vendor's authorization fix. If immediate update is not possible, restrict access to the plugin's admin interfaces via server-level access controls.

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
DefenderWordPress extension
Affected:< 4.7.3

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. Check Defender plugin version
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins > Defender Security. Locate the 'Version' field displayed under the plugin name. Alternatively, check the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/defender-security/ directory by viewing the main plugin PHP file.
    Affected if The displayed version number is less than 4.7.3 (for example, 4.7.2, 4.7.1, 4.6.x, etc.)
  2. Verify unauthenticated access exposure
    Confirm whether the WordPress site's wp-admin or wp-login.php is accessible to unauthenticated users by attempting to access it from a private browser window or using a tool like curl: curl -I https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/
    Affected if The site returns a 200 OK response or allows access to admin login pages without authentication, making the vulnerability exploitable remotely.
  3. Check for exposed plugin endpoints
    Review the Defender plugin configuration in WordPress admin under Defender > Settings. Look for any API endpoints, security scan features, or configuration options that may be accessible without login.
    Affected if The plugin exposes any security-related endpoints or features that do not require authentication, as indicated by the missing authorization flaw.

A WordPress site running Defender Security plugin version 4.7.2 or earlier with unauthenticated access to the admin area is affected by this CVE.

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 4.7.3 or later
Fixed in 4.7.3
Interim mitigation

Update Defender Security plugin to version 4.7.2 or later to apply the vendor's authorization fix. If immediate update is not possible, restrict access to the plugin's admin interfaces via server-level access controls.

Recommended fix High confidence

Defender Security version 4.7.3 or later

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the Defender Security plugin by WPMU DEV
  4. 4. Check the current version installed (should be <= 4.7.1)
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update to version 4.7.3 or later
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org or WPMU DEV website
  7. 7. Deactivate and delete the old version, then upload and activate the new version
  8. 8. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version shows 4.7.3 or higher

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

Fix this in Defender 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.

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-2024-37444 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