CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-2409NVD status: Modified

MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online…: Incorrect Privilege Assignment

CVE-2024-2409 is a critical-severity incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability in MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education from Stylemix, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education versions: 3.3.1 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.83% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 58% of scored CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Update masterstudy_lms to 3.3.2 or a later version.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
StylemixMasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education3.3.1 and earlierNot stated
Stylemixthemesmasterstudy_lmsbefore 3.3.23.3.2

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (wordfence.com).

Official description

The MasterStudy LMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.1. This is due to insufficient validation checks within the _register_user() function called by the 'wp_ajax_nopriv_stm_lms_register' AJAX action. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register a user with administrator-level privileges when MasterStudy LMS Pro is installed and the LMS Forms Editor add-on is enabled.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Incorrect Privilege Assignment

A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.

More Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities (CWE-266)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education

All MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education vulnerabilities

Recent Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities

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