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CVE-2021-24229 - Before 1 Plugin

CVE-2021-24229

The Jetpack Scan team identified a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the patreon_save_attachment_patreon_level AJAX action of the Patreon WordPress plugin before 1.7.2. This AJAX hook is used to update the pledge level required by Patreon subscribers to access a given attachment. This action is accessible for user accounts with the ‘manage_options’ privilege (i.e.., only administrators). Unfortunately, one of the parameters used in this AJAX endpoint is not sanitized before being printed back to the user, so the risk it represents is the same as the previous XSS vulnerability.

CVE-2021-24229

CRITICAL CVSS 9.6 Published 2021-04-12 Updated 2024-11-21
AI Risk High (89/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P2 Urgent
Severity Band CRITICAL
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 3
Reference Links 2
AI Risk Engine High (89/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2021-04-12 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2024-11-21 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-11 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 11 days ago

AI enriched 11 days ago (2026-04-11 00:42 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Jetpack Scan team identified a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the patreon_save_attachment_patreon_level AJAX action of the Patreon WordPress plugin before 1.7.2. This AJAX hook is used to update the pledge level required by Patreon subscribers to access a given attachment. This action is accessible for user accounts with the ‘manage_options’ privilege (i.e.., only administrators). Unfortunately, one of the parameters used in this AJAX endpoint is not sanitized before being printed back to the user, so the risk it represents is…

Potential Impact

Severity is CRITICAL (CVSS 9.6). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on severity and technical exposure profile.

Primary risk drivers: severity and technical exposure profile

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

AI risk score 89/100 (High, High) with priority P2 Urgent. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

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