dbcve.org
Incorrect Default PermissionsWeakness · CWE-276

CVE-2024-56525

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
In Public Knowledge Project (PKP) OJS, OMP, and OPS before 3.3.0.21 and 3.4.x before 3.4.0.8, an XXE attack by the Journal Editor Role can create a new role as super admin in the journal context, and insert a backdoor plugin, by uploading a crafted XML document as a User XML Plugin.

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 confidence

XXE vulnerability in PKP OJS/OMP/OPS User XML Plugin allows Journal Editors to upload crafted XML documents that can create super admin roles and inject backdoor plugins, achieving full system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade to 3.3.0.21/3.4.0.8 or later which contains XXE protections; alternatively, disable the User XML Plugin until patching is possible.

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
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. Identify your PKP product
    Check which PKP application is installed (OJS, OMP, or OPS). This is typically visible in the application footer or in the config file.
    Affected if The product is OJS, OMP, or OPS and the User XML Plugin is in use.
  2. Locate the User XML Plugin
    Check if the User XML Plugin is installed and enabled. In PKP applications, this is typically found in the Plugin Management interface under the Import/Export plugins section, or by inspecting the plugins/importexport/userxml directory.
    Affected if The User XML Plugin is present and enabled on the system.
  3. Determine the installed version
    Find the version number of your OJS/OMP/OPS installation. This is typically displayed in the application footer on web pages, or can be found in a version.php file within the application directory.
    Affected if The installed version is unknown or cannot be determined from standard locations.
  4. Compare against vulnerable version ranges
    Compare your identified version against the known affected range. According to the CVE, versions prior to 3.3.0.21 and 3.4.0.8 are affected.
    Affected if The installed version is below 3.3.0.21 or below 3.4.0.8.
  5. Verify plugin is accessible to Journal Editors
    Confirm that Journal Editor roles have access to upload XML files via the User XML Plugin. Check the role permissions settings for the Import/Export functionality.
    Affected if Journal Editors have permission to use the User XML Plugin import feature.

You are affected if your PKP product (OJS/OMP/OPS) has the User XML Plugin enabled, runs a version below 3.3.0.21 or below 3.4.0.8, and Journal Editors can access the plugin to import XML documents.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to 3.3.0.21/3.4.0.8 or later which contains XXE protections; alternatively, disable the User XML Plugin until patching is possible.

Recommended fix High confidence

OJS/OMP/OPS 3.3.0.21+ or 3.4.0.8+ (whichever branch is applicable)

  1. 1. Identify the exact version of OJS, OMP, or OPS currently installed
  2. 2. For versions 3.3.x below 3.3.0.21: upgrade to 3.3.0.21 or later
  3. 3. For versions 3.4.x below 3.4.0.8: upgrade to 3.4.0.8 or later
  4. 4. After upgrade, review user accounts with super admin privileges for any unauthorized additions
  5. 5. Audit installed plugins for any unknown or suspicious backdoor plugins
  6. 6. Review audit logs for any unauthorized role modifications
Caveat Review upgrade notes for your specific version branch as minor upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes but always backup before upgrading

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,960
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,136.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-56525 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-56525 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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