CVE-2024-11721 Overview
CVE-2024-11721 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 3.24.5. The plugin fails to enforce server-side validation on the user role select field when administrators configure a Role field in a frontend form. Unauthenticated attackers can manipulate the role parameter to create new administrator accounts on the WordPress site. Exploitation requires that the site administrator has exposed a vulnerable form to unauthenticated users. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management].
Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can create WordPress administrator accounts, leading to full site takeover including content modification, malware injection, and data exfiltration.
Affected Products
- Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin for WordPress
- All versions up to and including 3.24.5
- WordPress sites exposing the plugin's user role form field to unauthenticated visitors
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-14 - CVE-2024-11721 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-11721
Vulnerability Analysis
The Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin allows site builders to construct frontend forms for user registration, profile editing, and content submission. Form authors can include a Role field to assign WordPress user roles during registration. The plugin restricts the role selector dropdown on the client side based on the administrator's configuration. However, server-side handlers in class-role.php do not verify that the submitted role value matches the allowed options. An attacker who intercepts and modifies the form submission can substitute any role string, including administrator. The plugin processes the submitted role without authorization checks against the form's configured allow list. This bypasses the intended access control logic entirely.
Root Cause
The root cause is insufficient server-side validation of the role parameter submitted through frontend forms. The plugin trusts the client-supplied role value rather than reconciling it against the allowed roles defined in the form configuration. This violates the principle that all authorization decisions must be enforced server-side. The vendor patch in changeset 3204192 modifies class-role.php to validate submitted roles against the configured allow list before assignment.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker locates a publicly accessible form on the target WordPress site that uses the Frontend Admin plugin's Role field. The attacker submits the form with a tampered role parameter set to administrator. The plugin creates the new account with administrator privileges. The attacker then logs in to the WordPress admin panel and gains full control of the site, including theme and plugin code execution, database access, and content management.
The vulnerability does not require a published proof-of-concept. The exploitation pattern follows from intercepting any submission to a Frontend Admin form and replacing the role value with administrator. See the Wordfence Vulnerability Overview for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-11721
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected user accounts in wp_users with the administrator role created from frontend form submissions
- New entries in wp_usermeta where wp_capabilities contains administrator for recently registered users
- POST requests to admin-ajax.php or REST endpoints used by Frontend Admin containing a role parameter set to administrator
- Access log entries showing form submissions from unauthenticated sources followed by admin logins from the same IP
Detection Strategies
- Audit the WordPress users table for accounts created after the plugin was installed, filtering for the administrator role and registration source
- Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to Frontend Admin endpoints with role=administrator in the request body
- Compare current user role assignments against an authoritative baseline of expected administrators
- Monitor for plugin or theme file modifications immediately following new user registrations
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward WordPress audit logs and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation of registration and privilege change events
- Alert on creation of any new administrator account outside of approved provisioning workflows
- Track failed and successful logins for newly created accounts within the first 24 hours of registration
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-11721
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin to a version later than 3.24.5 that includes the fix from changeset 3204192
- Review all WordPress administrator accounts and remove any that were not provisioned through authorized channels
- Audit all Frontend Admin forms and remove the Role field from forms accessible to unauthenticated users
- Rotate credentials and secrets for any account that may have been compromised
Patch Information
The vendor released a fix in WordPress ACF Plugin Changeset 3204192. The patch updates class-role.php to validate the submitted role against the allowed roles configured for the form. Site operators should upgrade to the patched release published after December 14, 2024.
Workarounds
- Remove or disable any Frontend Admin form that exposes the Role field to unauthenticated visitors until the plugin is updated
- Restrict form access to authenticated users with limited roles using WordPress capability checks or a web application firewall rule
- Configure a WAF rule to block requests to Frontend Admin endpoints that include role=administrator or other elevated role values in the request body
- Disable user registration in WordPress settings if frontend registration is not required
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
