CVE-2021-24779Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated settings modification via unchecked admin hook

Published Oct 25, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Missing authorization in Andy Fragen WP Debugging before 2.11.0 allows remote attackers to alter debugging settings via an HTTP request. The update_settings() handler runs on admin_init and accepts wp-debugging option values without authorization or CSRF validation. A victim must submit the crafted request, which can rewrite debug-related constants such as WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY in wp-config.php.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.57%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Missing authorization in Andy Fragen WP Debugging before 2.11.0 allows remote attackers to alter debugging settings via an HTTP request. The update_settings() handler runs on admin_init and accepts wp-debugging option values without authorization or CSRF validation. A victim must submit the crafted request, which can rewrite debug-related constants such as WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY in wp-config.php.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-24779
Published
Oct 25, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Andy Fragen
Product
WP Debugging
Classifications
CWE-862, CWE-352, T1204
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 25, 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

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=2.11.0 <2.11.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Andy Fragen · WP Debuggingversion=2.11.0 <2.11.0

Published CVSS scores

4.3NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
6.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-862Missing Authorization
CWE-352Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
T1204User Execution

Public exploit references

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

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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