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CVE-2021-24522 - Before 3 Plugin

CVE-2021-24522

The User Registration, User Profile, Login & Membership – ProfilePress (Formerly WP User Avatar) WordPress plugin before 3.1.11's widget for tabbed login/register was not properly escaped and could be used in an XSS attack which could lead to wp-admin access. Further, the plugin in several places assigned $_POST as $_GET which meant that in some cases this could be replicated with just $_GET parameters and no need for $_POST values.

CVE-2021-24522

MEDIUM CVSS 6.1 Published 2021-08-09 Updated 2024-11-21
AI Risk Moderate (53/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P4 Planned
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Affected Components 2
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Moderate (53/100)
Exploitability Medium
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2021-08-09 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2024-11-21 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-12 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 4 days ago

AI enriched 4 days ago (2026-04-12 03:04 UTC)

Technical Summary

The User Registration, User Profile, Login & Membership – ProfilePress (Formerly WP User Avatar) WordPress plugin before 3.1.11's widget for tabbed login/register was not properly escaped and could be used in an XSS attack which could lead to wp-admin access. Further, the plugin in several places assigned $_POST as $_GET which meant that in some cases this could be replicated with just $_GET parameters and no need for $_POST values.

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 6.1). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as Medium 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 53/100 (Moderate, Medium) with priority P4 Planned. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Before 3 PLUGIN · before-3 Affected: < 3.1.11 Fixed in: 3.1.11
Profilepress PLUGIN · profilepress Affected: < 3.1.11 Fixed in: 3.1.11
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