dbcve.org
UserplusWordPress extension · Wpuserplus

CVE-2024-9518

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.0 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
The UserPlus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions up to, and including, 2.0 due to insufficient restriction on the 'form_actions' and 'userplus_update_user_profile' functions. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to specify their user role by supplying the 'role' parameter during a registration.

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 UserPlus WordPress plugin versions up to 2.0 contains insufficient authorization checks in the 'form_actions' and 'userplus_update_user_profile' functions, allowing unauthenticated attackers to register new accounts with arbitrary roles by supplying a 'role' parameter during the registration process. This effectively enables complete site compromise by granting administrator-level access to threat actors.

MitigationUpdate the UserPlus plugin to the latest version immediately and audit existing user accounts for unauthorized privileged accounts created since the vulnerability's introduction.

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
UserplusWordPress extension
Affected:<= 2.0

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 if UserPlus plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'UserPlus' or 'Wpuserplus Userplus' in the plugin list and note the version number displayed.
    Affected if UserPlus plugin version 2.0 or lower is installed
  2. Verify plugin is active
    In the Plugins list, confirm the UserPlus plugin shows as 'Active'. If the plugin is deactivated, the vulnerability is not exploitable.
    Affected if UserPlus plugin is currently active
  3. Review user accounts for unauthorized administrators
    Go to WordPress admin > Users. Examine all accounts with 'Administrator' role. Check creation dates and email addresses for any that were created unexpectedly or by automated tools.
    Affected if Any administrator accounts exist that were not created by legitimate site administrators
  4. Check WordPress registration settings
    Go to WordPress admin > Settings > General > 'Membership' setting ('Anyone can register'). If enabled, the attack surface is larger, though the vulnerability allows bypass of this setting.
    Affected if User registration is enabled or any new users appeared when registration was thought to be disabled
  5. Audit recent user registration activity
    In WordPress admin > Users > All Users, sort by 'Registered' column. Look for user accounts created at unusual times or in rapid succession, especially with administrator or editor roles.
    Affected if Multiple users were registered in short succession or at times when no legitimate registrations occurred

You are affected if the UserPlus plugin version 2.0 or lower is active on your WordPress site, as this allows unauthenticated attackers to create administrator accounts.

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 a release after 2.0
Interim mitigation

Update the UserPlus plugin to the latest version immediately and audit existing user accounts for unauthorized privileged accounts created since the vulnerability's introduction.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

UserPlus 2.0.1 or later (check WordPress plugin repository for latest stable release)

  1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the UserPlus plugin
  4. Check if an update is available and install it
  5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. Verify the updated version number after installation
  7. Test user registration functionality to ensure the fix doesn't break normal operations
Caveat Minimal expected; security patches in WordPress plugins typically don't introduce breaking changes for core functionality

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

Fix this in Userplus Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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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-2024-9518 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