CVE-2024-51888: Homey Login Register Privilege Escalation

CVE-2024-51888 Overview

CVE-2024-51888 is an Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability (CWE-266) affecting the Homey Login Register plugin for WordPress developed by favethemes. This security flaw allows attackers to escalate their privileges within affected WordPress installations, potentially gaining unauthorized access to administrative functions and sensitive site data.

The vulnerability stems from improper handling of user role assignments during the registration or login process, enabling malicious actors to elevate their account permissions beyond what should be permitted.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this privilege escalation vulnerability to gain administrative access to WordPress sites running the vulnerable Homey Login Register plugin, potentially leading to complete site takeover.

Affected Products

• Homey Login Register plugin version 2.4.0 and earlier
• WordPress installations using the homey-login-register plugin
• Sites using the Homey theme ecosystem with the affected plugin

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-21 - CVE-2024-51888 published to NVD
• 2026-04-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-51888

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as an Incorrect Privilege Assignment issue (CWE-266), which occurs when a product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a user, creating an unintended sphere of control. In the context of the Homey Login Register plugin, this flaw allows users to manipulate the registration or authentication flow to obtain higher privileges than intended.

WordPress plugins that handle user registration are particularly sensitive because they interact directly with WordPress's role-based access control system. When these plugins fail to properly validate or restrict role assignments, attackers can potentially register as administrators or escalate existing accounts to elevated privilege levels.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the plugin's failure to properly validate and restrict user role assignments during account creation or modification. The plugin does not adequately enforce privilege boundaries, allowing users to specify or manipulate role parameters that should be restricted to administrative control only.

Attack Vector

The attack exploits the plugin's registration or profile update functionality. An attacker can manipulate request parameters to assign themselves an elevated role, such as administrator, during the registration process or when modifying user account details. This type of attack typically requires:

1. Access to the registration form or user profile update functionality
2. Ability to intercept and modify HTTP requests
3. Knowledge of WordPress role naming conventions (e.g., administrator, editor)

The attack can be executed remotely without authentication in scenarios where public registration is enabled, making it particularly dangerous for WordPress sites that allow open user registration through this plugin.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-51888

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected user accounts with administrator or elevated privileges appearing in WordPress user lists
• Audit logs showing role changes or new registrations with administrative capabilities
• Suspicious activity from newly created user accounts accessing admin-only functionality
• Modified user metadata or role assignments in the wp_usermeta database table

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress user registration logs for accounts created with unexpected role assignments
• Implement alerting for any new administrator account creation or role elevation events
• Review web application firewall (WAF) logs for suspicious parameters in registration requests
• Audit the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables for unauthorized privilege assignments

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to track all user creation and role modification events
• Configure SIEM alerts for new administrator accounts created outside normal administrative workflows
• Regularly review user account listings for unauthorized elevated privileges
• Monitor HTTP request logs for registration endpoints containing role manipulation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-51888

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Homey Login Register plugin to a patched version immediately if available
• Disable the Homey Login Register plugin if no patch is available until a fix is released
• Audit all existing user accounts for unexpected privilege escalations
• Implement web application firewall rules to filter suspicious registration parameters
• Consider temporarily disabling public user registration until the vulnerability is addressed

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects Homey Login Register versions from the initial release through version 2.4.0. Users should check the Patchstack vulnerability database for the latest patch information and update to the most recent version that addresses this vulnerability.

Contact the plugin vendor (favethemes) for specific remediation guidance and patch availability.

Workarounds

• Disable the Homey Login Register plugin entirely until a patch is available
• Implement server-side input validation to restrict role parameters in registration requests
• Use a web application firewall to block requests containing role manipulation attempts
• Restrict user registration to invitation-only or disable public registration temporarily
• Configure WordPress to enforce role assignment only through administrative interfaces

# WordPress CLI commands to audit and manage user roles
# List all administrator users for audit
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,user_registered

# Check for recently created users with elevated privileges
wp user list --role=administrator --orderby=user_registered --order=DESC

# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin temporarily
wp plugin deactivate homey-login-register