CVE-2024-9161

Home/CVE/The Rank Math SEO - AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modificatio

CVE

The Rank Math SEO - AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modificatio

The Rank Math SEO - AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification and loss of data due to a missing capability check on the 'update_metadata' function in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.228. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to insert new and update existing metadata beginning with 'rank_math', and delete arbitrary existing user metadata and term metadata. Deleting existing usermeta can cause a loss of access to the administrator dashboard for any registered users, including Administrators.

MEDIUM · CVSS 6.5 EPSS 0.23642

Schedule remediation

EPSS ≥ 0.10 - elevated exploitation probability
EPSS percentile: top 4% of all CVEs by exploitation likelihood
Public exploit or PoC is available

Sigma rules0 YARA rules0

Look this up elsewhere - one-click external pivots

NVD CVE.org CISA Vulners Exploit-DB GitHub PoC VulnCheck KEV GreyNoise

▸ How to read a CVE - triage first, then detect and patch

This page is every public fact about CVE-2024-9161, cross-linked. Its job is to answer one question fast - does this need my attention now? - and then hand you the two things you do about it. Here is how an analyst reads it.

Triage: should I act now? Four signals, and they are not interchangeable:

CVSSseverity - how bad it is IF exploited, 0-10. A high CVSS alone is not urgency; a flaw can be a perfect 10 and never actually be attacked. EPSSprobability - a model’s estimate of the chance it is exploited in the next 30 days, 0-1. This is the “will it actually happen” signal. CISA KEVconfirmed - it is being exploited in the wild right now. The strongest signal on the page; KEV beats any score. Weaponisedavailability - public exploits / PoCs, and especially Metasploit modules rated Excellent / Great. Reliable, packaged exploit code means low-skill attackers can use it today.

How they combine: KEV, or a dependable Metasploit module, means patch now regardless of CVSS. High CVSS + low EPSS + no exploit is real but not an emergency - schedule it. Low CVSS but KEV-listed still gets patched now. The verdict above already weighed these for you; this is how it got there.

Then what - two workflows:

Detectwhen you cannot patch today, follow this CVE to the ATT&CK techniques it enables, then Build a SIEM detection (the green button) - author a rule, test it in Atomic, deploy it. That buys visibility while the patch waits. PatchAffected products / packages tell you if you are exposed; Fixed versions by distribution and Vendor advisories give the exact version that closes it.

Reading order for the panels below: verdict + badges, then Public exploits / Metasploit (is it weaponised), then ATT&CK techniques + Sigma / IDS rules (can I detect it), then Affected products / packages + Fixed versions (am I exposed, what patches it), then Threat actors / IOCs (who uses it), then Scoring & timeline / references (the evidence).

View attack path from CVE-2024-9161

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ATT&CK techniques

Techniques this CVE enables - linked via CWECAPECATT&CK. High◆ = named directly in ATT&CK or Nuclei templates.

T1211 · Exploitation for Stealth T1542.002 · Component Firmware T1556 · Modify Authentication Process

▤ Build a SIEM detection for these techniques

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CAPEC attack patterns

Attack patterns this CVE enables - the bridge from weakness to ATT&CK technique.

CAPEC-CAPEC-665 · Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws

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Weakness Classification

CWE-862Missing Authorization

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Affected Products & Versions

rankmath seo< 1.0.229

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Public Exploits & PoCs

These PoC and exploit links come from public sources and are not verified to be safe or functional. Review the code before running anything, and treat unverified entries as untrusted.

nucleiRank Math SEO < 1.0.229 - Unauthenticated User and Term Metadata Insert/Update/Deletionmedium

poc20142995/nuclei-templates (trickest)

poccyb3r-w0lf/nuclei-template-collection (trickest)

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