CVE-2024-11951 is a critical security vulnerability classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) found in the Homey Login Register plugin for WordPress, developed by Fave Themes. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.4.0. The core issue arises because the plugin allows users registering new accounts to specify their own user role without proper validation or restrictions. As a result, an unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw by creating a new account and assigning themselves the administrator role. This effectively grants them full administrative privileges on the WordPress site, enabling them to modify content, install malicious plugins, steal sensitive data, or disrupt site availability. The vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction, making it trivially exploitable remotely over the network. The CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 reflects the vulnerability’s critical severity, with attack vector being network, no privileges required, no user interaction, and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Despite no known exploits currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a severe risk due to the popularity of WordPress and the plugin’s usage in real estate and rental property websites. The lack of a patch or update at the time of reporting increases the urgency for mitigation. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper role assignment controls during user registration processes in web applications.

The impact of CVE-2024-11951 is severe for organizations using the Homey Login Register plugin. An attacker can gain full administrative control over the affected WordPress site without any authentication, allowing them to manipulate website content, install backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, or disrupt services. This can lead to complete site compromise, loss of customer trust, data breaches involving personal or financial information, and potential regulatory penalties. For businesses relying on their WordPress site for e-commerce, customer engagement, or internal operations, such a compromise can cause significant financial and reputational damage. Additionally, attackers could leverage compromised sites as a foothold for further attacks within the hosting environment or network. The vulnerability’s ease of exploitation and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability make it a critical risk that demands immediate attention.

To mitigate CVE-2024-11951, organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately disable the Homey Login Register plugin if an update or patch is not yet available. 2) If possible, restrict user registration functionality temporarily to prevent new account creation until a fix is applied. 3) Monitor existing user accounts for unauthorized administrator accounts and remove any suspicious users. 4) Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block or alert on suspicious registration attempts that specify elevated roles. 5) Review and harden WordPress user role assignment policies, ensuring that user roles cannot be set or escalated during registration without administrative approval. 6) Keep WordPress core and all plugins updated regularly and subscribe to vendor security advisories for timely patching. 7) Conduct thorough security audits and penetration tests focusing on user management features. 8) Consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts to reduce risk from compromised credentials. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on immediate containment, detection, and prevention specific to this plugin’s vulnerability.