dbcve.org
SpectraWordPress extension · Brainstormforce

CVE-2024-37517

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.13.8 or later.
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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Brainstorm Force Spectra allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Spectra: from n/a through 2.13.7.

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

The Spectra WordPress plugin has a missing authorization vulnerability allowing authenticated users to access functionality they shouldn't have permission to use due to incorrectly configured access control security levels. This is a classic IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) or broken access control issue in the WordPress plugin, potentially allowing privilege escalation or unauthorized data access.

MitigationUpdate Spectra to the latest version (after 2.13.7) which should contain proper authorization checks. If no update is available, manually audit the plugin code for endpoints lacking current_user_can() capability checks and add appropriate authorization 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
SpectraWordPress extension
Affected:< 2.13.8

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 Spectra plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Spectra' or 'Brainstormforce Spectra' in the list. Alternatively, check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'uagb' or 'spectra' (Spectra is often distributed as 'Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg' or similar).
    Affected if The plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed Spectra version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the version number listed under the Spectra plugin name. Alternatively, open the main plugin file (usually /wp-content/plugins/uagb/uagb.php or similar) and look for the 'Version' header comment.
    Affected if Version is lower than 2.13.8 (e.g., 2.13.7, 2.13.6, etc.)
  3. Confirm WordPress user registration is enabled
    In WordPress admin, go to Settings > General and check 'Membership: Anyone can register' is checked. Or check via database: look for 'users_can_register' option in wp_options table.
    Affected if User registration is enabled, allowing creation of new user accounts
  4. Identify non-administrator user accounts
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and review roles. Or query the wp_usermeta table for roles other than 'administrator'. Check for editors, authors, contributors, or subscribers.
    Affected if There are users with roles below administrator (editor, author, contributor, subscriber) who could potentially access unauthorized functionality
  5. Audit plugin for missing capability checks
    Examine Spectra plugin PHP files for AJAX handlers or REST API endpoints. Search for 'add_action' calls handling user-submitted data without 'current_user_can()' checks. Look for functions that modify posts, settings, or user data without proper authorization.
    Affected if Plugin code contains endpoints or functions that process requests without verifying user permissions via current_user_can() or role checks

The environment is affected if the Spectra plugin version is below 2.13.8, the site has registered users with non-administrator roles, and the plugin contains functionality accessible to authenticated users without proper capability verification.

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 2.13.8 or later
Fixed in 2.13.8
Interim mitigation

Update Spectra to the latest version (after 2.13.7) which should contain proper authorization checks. If no update is available, manually audit the plugin code for endpoints lacking current_user_can() capability checks and add appropriate authorization controls.

Recommended fix High confidence

Spectra version 2.13.8 or later

  1. Back up your WordPress site and database before performing any updates
  2. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins section
  3. Locate the Spectra plugin in the installed plugins list
  4. Check if the current installed version is below 2.13.8
  5. Update Spectra to version 2.13.8 or later by clicking the update button
  6. After update completes, verify the installed version is 2.13.8 or higher under Plugins > Installed Plugins
  7. Test that the Spectra plugin functionality works as expected on your site

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

Fix this in Spectra Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2024-37517 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