CVE-2021-24527
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Profile Builder WordPress plugin allows any user to reset the administrator password without proper authorization, potentially gaining full control of the WordPress site. The admin receives no notification of the password change. All WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Profile Builder (User Registration & User Profile) WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
Profile Builder by Cozmoslabs
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site takeover by attackers who can then deface the site, steal data, install malware, or use the site for further attacks.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access leading to content manipulation, plugin/themes installation, or data exfiltration.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if strong network controls prevent external access or if additional authentication layers exist.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP request manipulation can trigger the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.4.9
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/c142e738-bc4b-4058-a03e-1be6fca47207
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins. 3. Find Profile Builder plugin. 4. Update to version 3.4.9 or later. 5. Verify update completes successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Profile Builder Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patching is possible.
wp plugin deactivate profile-builder
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block password reset manipulation attempts
- Enable two-factor authentication for all administrator accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Profile Builder version numberCheck Version:
wp plugin get profile-builder --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 3.4.9 or higher in WordPress admin📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed password reset attempts
- Successful password reset from unusual IP addresses
- Admin login from new locations
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with password reset parameters
- Unusual traffic patterns to password reset endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("password-reset" OR "admin-ajax.php") AND status=200