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Authorization Bypass (IDOR)Weakness · CWE-639

CVE-2024-9262

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The User Meta – User Profile Builder and User management plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.1 via the getUser() due to missing validation on a user controlled key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to obtain user meta values from form fields. Please note that this requires a site administrator to create a form that displays potentially sensitive information like password hashes. This may also be exploited by unauthenticated users if the 'user-meta-public-profile' shortcode is used insecurely.

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

The User Meta plugin for WordPress contains an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability in the getUser() function. Due to missing validation on a user-controlled key, authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access and above can retrieve arbitrary user meta values, including potentially sensitive data like password hashes. Unauthenticated exploitation is also possible if the 'user-meta-public-profile' shortcode is used insecurely.

MitigationUpdate the User Meta plugin to version 3.1.2 or later to patch the IDOR vulnerability. Additionally, avoid using the 'user-meta-public-profile' shortcode in configurations that expose sensitive user meta fields, and audit existing forms for sensitive data exposure.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 User Meta plugin installation and version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate User Meta. Note the version number displayed, or check the plugin header in wp-content/plugins/user-meta/*.php
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 3.1.2
  2. Identify Contributor-level or higher user accounts
    Navigate to Users > All Users in WordPress admin. Review the role column to identify any accounts with Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles
    Affected if At least one user account with Contributor-level access or higher exists in the system
  3. Check for shortcode usage on public pages
    Search site pages, posts, and widgets for the [user-meta-public-profile] shortcode by viewing page source or using a search tool like grep across theme and content files
    Affected if The user-meta-public-profile shortcode is present and rendered on publicly accessible pages
  4. Verify direct object reference vulnerability is reachable
    Test accessing the getUser() function endpoint directly - examine network requests when loading User Meta profile pages to identify the vulnerable API call pattern
    Affected if The getUser() endpoint responds to requests without proper authorization validation on the user key parameter
  5. Inspect sensitive user meta fields exposure
    Review the User Meta plugin settings for which meta fields are configured as public or accessible via profile shortcode, particularly password hashes and sensitive data fields
    Affected if Sensitive meta fields such as password reset keys or private data are exposed through User Meta configuration

Your environment is affected if the User Meta plugin version is below 3.1.2 AND either Contributor-level users exist or the vulnerable shortcode is publicly exposed, allowing unauthorized retrieval of user meta data.

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

Update the User Meta plugin to version 3.1.2 or later to patch the IDOR vulnerability. Additionally, avoid using the 'user-meta-public-profile' shortcode in configurations that expose sensitive user meta fields, and audit existing forms for sensitive data exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version above 3.1.1 (check wordpress.org for 3.1.2 or higher)

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'User Meta – User Profile Builder and User management' plugin
  4. Click 'Update Now' to install the latest version, or manually download from wordpress.org/plugins/user-meta and upload

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2024-9262 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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