CVE-2021-24215Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated privilege escalation via unrestricted admin pages

Published Apr 12, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Improper access control in Controlled Admin Access before 1.5.2 allows remote attackers to reach restricted WordPress admin settings via crafted requests. The plugin fails to enforce restrictions on customization and global settings pages such as /wp-admin/customize.php and /wp-admin/options.php, allowing a limited temporary administrator to access functions reserved for unrestricted administrators. Exploitation requires a reachable WordPress installation with the plugin active and can give attackers control of site configuration and content.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability9.73%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper access control in Controlled Admin Access before 1.5.2 allows remote attackers to reach restricted WordPress admin settings via crafted requests. The plugin fails to enforce restrictions on customization and global settings pages such as /wp-admin/customize.php and /wp-admin/options.php, allowing a limited temporary administrator to access functions reserved for unrestricted administrators. Exploitation requires a reachable WordPress installation with the plugin active and can give attackers control of site configuration and content.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-24215
Published
Apr 12, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Waseem Senjer
Product
Controlled Admin Access
Classifications
CWE-425, CWE-284, T1068
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 12, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=1.5.2 <1.5.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Waseem Senjer · Controlled Admin Accessversion=1.5.2 <1.5.2

Published CVSS scores

9.8NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
10.0NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-425Direct Request ('Forced Browsing')
CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo