CVE-2024-56061 Overview
CVE-2024-56061 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the RepairBuddy WordPress plugin by Ateeq Rafeeq, also known as computer-repair-shop. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 3.8119 and enables account takeover through privilege escalation. Authenticated attackers with low privileges can exploit the vulnerability over the network without user interaction.
The weakness maps to [CWE-862: Missing Authorization]. Successful exploitation grants full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress installation.
Critical Impact
Low-privileged authenticated users can escalate privileges and take over administrator accounts on WordPress sites running vulnerable RepairBuddy installations.
Affected Products
- Ateeq Rafeeq RepairBuddy (computer-repair-shop) plugin for WordPress
- All versions from n/a through 3.8119
- WordPress sites with the RepairBuddy plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-31 - CVE-2024-56061 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-56061
Vulnerability Analysis
The RepairBuddy plugin exposes functionality that fails to verify whether the requesting user holds the required role or capability. An authenticated attacker with minimal privileges, such as a subscriber or customer role, can invoke sensitive actions reserved for administrators.
According to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report, the flaw leads to account takeover. The attacker can modify account data belonging to higher-privileged users, including administrators, and gain full control of the site.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing authorization checks on privileged plugin endpoints. The plugin does not call current_user_can() or verify a nonce and capability pair before executing sensitive operations. This omission allows any authenticated request to reach code paths intended only for site administrators.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires only a low-privileged authenticated session on the target WordPress site. Because RepairBuddy is designed for computer repair shops, many deployments allow customer registration, which lowers the barrier to obtaining valid credentials.
The attacker submits crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints. Requests modify account attributes such as email address or password for a target administrator account. The attacker then completes a password reset or logs in directly with the modified credentials.
The vulnerability manifests in privileged account-management handlers that lack role checks. See the Patchstack advisory for endpoint-level technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-56061
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to WordPress administrator email addresses or passwords in the wp_users table
- New administrator accounts or role promotions logged in wp_usermeta without corresponding admin activity
- Password reset emails delivered to unfamiliar addresses tied to admin accounts
- HTTP POST requests to RepairBuddy plugin endpoints originating from low-privileged user sessions
Detection Strategies
- Audit WordPress user records for role changes and email or password modifications outside normal administrative activity
- Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to capture profile updates and capability changes with timestamps and source IP addresses
- Correlate web server access logs with authenticated session identifiers to detect low-privileged users invoking plugin admin endpoints
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor authentication events for successful admin logins from previously unseen IP addresses following recent low-privileged sessions
- Track outbound password reset emails and flag those targeting privileged accounts
- Alert on any modification to the user_email or user_pass fields for accounts holding the administrator role
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-56061
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the RepairBuddy plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor
- Force password resets for all administrator accounts and review email addresses on privileged users
- Audit the WordPress user database for unauthorized role escalations or account modifications since the plugin was installed
- Restrict new user registration or require manual approval for accounts on sites running the plugin
Patch Information
No fixed version is identified in the enriched data. The vulnerability affects RepairBuddy versions through 3.8119. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for vendor updates and patch availability.
Workarounds
- Remove the RepairBuddy plugin entirely if a patched release is unavailable
- Deploy a web application firewall rule to block requests to RepairBuddy admin endpoints from non-administrator sessions
- Enforce multi-factor authentication on all WordPress administrator accounts to limit the impact of credential changes
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and plugin-specific endpoints using IP allowlists where feasible
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
