CVE-2024-54880 identifies a critical incorrect access control vulnerability in SeaCMS version 13.1. The root cause is a logic flaw in the user registration process that fails to properly restrict account creation, allowing any unauthenticated attacker to register multiple accounts in bulk. This vulnerability falls under CWE-281 (Improper Authentication), where the system does not enforce proper authentication or authorization checks before permitting account registrations. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 reflects the vulnerability's high severity, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction needed (UI:N). The impact affects confidentiality and integrity severely (C:H/I:H), but availability remains unaffected (A:N). Exploiting this flaw could enable attackers to create numerous fake accounts, which can be leveraged for spam campaigns, fraudulent activities, or as a foothold for further attacks such as privilege escalation or data exfiltration. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild and no official patches are available, the vulnerability's nature demands immediate mitigation. The lack of patch availability necessitates that organizations implement compensating controls to prevent abuse. The vulnerability was published on January 6, 2025, and was reserved on December 6, 2024, indicating recent discovery and disclosure.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-54880 is the unauthorized bulk creation of user accounts, which can severely undermine the integrity and confidentiality of affected systems. Organizations using SeaCMS V13.1 may face spam flooding, resource exhaustion, and potential abuse of the platform for malicious activities such as phishing or distributing malware. The presence of many fake accounts can also degrade trust in the platform, complicate user management, and increase operational costs. Attackers could leverage the bulk accounts to attempt further attacks, including privilege escalation or data theft, especially if other vulnerabilities exist. Although availability is not directly impacted, the indirect effects of resource strain could degrade service performance. The vulnerability's ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of widespread abuse. This threat is particularly concerning for organizations relying on SeaCMS for public-facing websites or services with user-generated content, as it can facilitate large-scale automated attacks and fraud.

Given the absence of official patches, organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include deploying rate limiting on the registration endpoint to restrict the number of accounts created from a single IP address or subnet within a given timeframe. Incorporating CAPTCHA or other challenge-response tests can help block automated bulk registrations. Monitoring and alerting on unusual registration patterns will aid in early detection of abuse. Additionally, implementing email verification or phone number validation can increase the difficulty of mass account creation. Organizations should review and harden access control logic in their SeaCMS deployment, potentially applying custom patches or updates from the vendor once available. Segmentation and limiting privileges of newly created accounts can reduce the impact of any malicious accounts. Finally, maintaining comprehensive logs and conducting regular audits will support incident response efforts if exploitation occurs.