CVE-2024-9519 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment) affecting the UserPlus plugin for WordPress, specifically versions up to 2.0. The issue lies in the 'save_metabox_form' function, which lacks proper capability checks when processing user registration and profile updates. This flaw allows authenticated users with editor-level permissions or higher to escalate their privileges by modifying the registration form role to administrator. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring high privileges (PR:H) but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), but the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H) because an attacker can gain full administrative control of the WordPress site. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the widespread use of WordPress and the UserPlus plugin for managing user roles and profiles. The lack of a patch link indicates that users must monitor vendor updates closely or implement workarounds to mitigate risk. The vulnerability was published on October 10, 2024, and assigned a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.2, reflecting its high severity and potential impact on affected systems.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-9519 is unauthorized privilege escalation, allowing an attacker with editor-level access to gain administrator privileges. This can lead to full site compromise, including the ability to install malicious plugins, modify site content, steal sensitive data, and disrupt site availability. Organizations relying on WordPress sites with the UserPlus plugin are at risk of data breaches, defacement, or service outages. The vulnerability undermines the integrity and confidentiality of user data and site configurations. Since WordPress powers a significant portion of the web, including many business, government, and e-commerce sites, the potential impact is broad and severe. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could pivot to other internal systems if the WordPress site is part of a larger network. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not diminish the urgency for remediation, as proof-of-concept exploits could emerge rapidly.

To mitigate CVE-2024-9519, organizations should immediately audit user roles and permissions within WordPress to ensure no unauthorized privilege escalations have occurred. Restrict editor-level permissions to trusted users only and consider temporarily reducing privileges if possible. Monitor WordPress and UserPlus plugin updates closely and apply patches as soon as they become available. In the absence of an official patch, implement custom capability checks or disable the vulnerable 'save_metabox_form' functionality if feasible. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting suspicious role modification attempts. Conduct regular security audits and enable logging to detect unusual privilege changes. Educate administrators and editors about the risks of privilege escalation and enforce strong authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication, to reduce the risk of compromised accounts. Finally, maintain regular backups of WordPress sites to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise.