CVE-2024-13368 in Youzify Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/25/2025
The Youzify – BuddyPress Community, User Profile, Social Network & Membership Plugin for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access due to a missing capability check on the youzify_offer_banner() function in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update arbitrary site options to a value of one.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-13368 affects the Youzify plugin for WordPress, a popular community and social networking solution that extends BuddyPress functionality. This plugin enables users to create social networks, manage user profiles, and handle membership operations within WordPress environments. The flaw resides in the youzify_offer_banner() function which fails to properly validate user permissions before executing critical operations. The vulnerability exists in all plugin versions up to and including 1.3.2, representing a significant security weakness that could be exploited by malicious actors within the WordPress ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from a missing capability check within the plugin's codebase, specifically in the youzify_offer_banner() function. This function lacks proper authorization validation that should verify whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to modify site options. The absence of this security control allows any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access or higher to manipulate arbitrary site configuration parameters. The vulnerability manifests as an unauthorized capability escalation where attackers can set specific site options to a value of one, potentially altering core plugin functionality or system behavior. This represents a classic authorization bypass vulnerability where insufficient access controls permit privileged operations to be executed by unauthorized users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it creates potential vectors for more severe attacks within the WordPress environment. An attacker with Subscriber-level access could exploit this flaw to modify critical system settings, potentially disrupting plugin functionality or creating backdoor access points. The ability to update arbitrary site options with a value of one could affect various plugin configurations, membership settings, or user profile parameters that are controlled through these options. This vulnerability could enable attackers to manipulate user experience, alter content visibility, or potentially create persistent access mechanisms within the WordPress installation. The impact is particularly concerning given that Subscriber-level users typically have limited privileges within WordPress, making this unauthorized access particularly dangerous.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-13368 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to the latest available version where the capability check has been implemented. System administrators should also conduct thorough security audits of their WordPress installations to identify any unauthorized modifications that may have occurred due to exploitation of this vulnerability. The fix for this vulnerability aligns with security principle 27 from the OWASP Top 10 2021, which addresses access control vulnerabilities, and corresponds to CWE-285, which describes improper authorization scenarios. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect unusual patterns in site option modifications and establish proper access control policies within their WordPress environments. Additionally, implementing the principle of least privilege for user accounts and regularly reviewing user capabilities will help minimize potential exploitation impact. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques where adversaries leverage missing access controls to gain elevated system privileges, making it critical to address promptly through proper patch management and security configuration reviews.