CVE-2024-8548 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) affecting the KB Support – WordPress Help Desk and Knowledge Base plugin developed by cagdasdag. The flaw exists in all versions up to 1.6.6 and arises from the absence of proper capability checks on multiple functions within the plugin. This security gap allows authenticated users with minimal privileges (Subscriber-level or higher) to bypass intended access controls and perform administrative actions typically reserved for higher privilege roles. Specifically, attackers can reply to arbitrary support tickets, change the status of any post, delete posts, add notes to tickets, flag or unflag tickets, and add or remove participants from tickets. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring user interaction beyond authentication, making it relatively easy to abuse. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.1, reflecting high impact on confidentiality and integrity, while availability remains unaffected. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk to the integrity and confidentiality of support ticket data and overall help desk management. The root cause is the missing authorization checks that should validate whether the authenticated user has the necessary permissions before performing sensitive operations.

The vulnerability allows unauthorized modification and deletion of help desk tickets and posts, which can lead to severe confidentiality breaches, such as exposure or alteration of sensitive customer support information. Integrity is heavily impacted as attackers can manipulate ticket statuses, add misleading notes, or remove legitimate participants, potentially disrupting support workflows and damaging organizational reputation. Although availability is not directly affected, the operational impact on help desk functionality can indirectly degrade service quality. Organizations relying on this plugin for customer support risk data loss, misinformation, and unauthorized access to sensitive communications. Attackers with low-level access can escalate their influence within the help desk system, undermining trust and potentially facilitating further attacks or social engineering. The ease of exploitation and broad scope of affected versions increase the likelihood of targeted attacks, especially in environments where multiple users have Subscriber-level access.

Organizations should immediately update the KB Support – WordPress Help Desk and Knowledge Base plugin to a patched version once available. In the absence of an official patch, administrators should restrict Subscriber-level user capabilities or temporarily disable the plugin to prevent exploitation. Implementing strict role-based access controls and auditing user permissions can reduce risk exposure. Monitoring logs for unusual ticket modifications or administrative actions by low-privilege users can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, applying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with custom rules to block suspicious requests targeting the plugin’s administrative functions may provide temporary protection. Regularly reviewing and minimizing the number of users with Subscriber or higher privileges can limit the attack surface. Finally, organizations should maintain backups of help desk data to enable recovery in case of data tampering or deletion.