CVE-2024-39635: Kainelabs Youzify Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2024-39635 Overview

CVE-2024-39635 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the KaineLabs Youzify plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects Youzify versions up to and including 1.2.6. Authenticated attackers with low-privilege accounts can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to reach functionality restricted to higher-privileged users. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress site. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network with low attack complexity and no user interaction.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can bypass access control checks in the Youzify plugin to invoke privileged operations, leading to data exposure, unauthorized modifications, and site disruption.

Affected Products

KaineLabs Youzify plugin for WordPress
Youzify versions from n/a through 1.2.6
WordPress sites running the free Youzify BuddyPress community plugin

Discovery Timeline

2024-11-01 - CVE-2024-39635 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-39635

Vulnerability Analysis

The Youzify plugin extends WordPress with BuddyPress community profile features. The plugin exposes actions and endpoints that must validate the caller's capability or role before executing sensitive operations. In versions through 1.2.6, one or more of these handlers omit or misconfigure the authorization check.

An attacker holding a low-privilege account, such as a subscriber, can invoke these endpoints directly. Because the server does not verify whether the caller is authorized for the requested action, the request is processed as if the caller held the required privilege. This class of flaw is tracked as CWE-862: Missing Authorization.

The EPSS probability for this issue is 0.407% at the 33.6 percentile. No public proof-of-concept or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence or misconfiguration of capability checks in privileged Youzify handlers. WordPress plugins typically enforce authorization with functions such as current_user_can() and nonce validation via check_ajax_referer(). When these checks are missing, any authenticated session can reach code paths intended for administrators or moderators.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires a valid but low-privileged WordPress account on a site running Youzify 1.2.6 or earlier. The attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint, typically admin-ajax.php with a Youzify-specific action parameter. Because the endpoint fails to verify the caller's role, the requested operation executes with elevated effect on the plugin's data or configuration.

See the Patchstack Youzify Vulnerability Report for advisory details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-39635

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php containing Youzify-specific action parameters from subscriber-level accounts
Unauthorized changes to Youzify profile data, community settings, or user metadata not attributable to administrator activity
Newly created or modified WordPress user records that do not match normal registration or moderator activity

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress installations and identify sites running Youzify at version 1.2.6 or earlier
Review web server access logs for repeated admin-ajax.php requests from the same authenticated session referencing Youzify actions
Correlate WordPress audit logs with plugin activity to flag privileged operations executed by non-administrator accounts

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on the WordPress instance, including plugin action calls and role changes
Alert on anomalous request rates to admin-ajax.php originating from low-privilege authenticated users
Monitor for post-exploitation behavior such as new administrator accounts, plugin installations, or file writes to wp-content

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-39635

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Youzify plugin to a version later than 1.2.6 as published by KaineLabs
Audit existing WordPress accounts and remove or disable unused low-privilege accounts that could be abused
Review recent Youzify-related activity logs for signs of prior exploitation before applying the patch

Patch Information

KaineLabs addressed the missing authorization issue in a release after Youzify 1.2.6. Administrators should apply the vendor update through the WordPress plugin manager. Refer to the Patchstack Youzify Vulnerability Report for the fixed version identifier and advisory details.

Workarounds

Disable the Youzify plugin until the patched version can be installed
Restrict access to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php for unauthenticated and untrusted sources using a web application firewall
Enforce strong registration controls to limit the creation of low-privilege accounts that could be used to reach the vulnerable endpoint

bash

# Configuration example: update Youzify via WP-CLI
wp plugin update youzify --path=/var/www/html
wp plugin get youzify --field=version --path=/var/www/html