CVE-2021-21389 in the critical feed json
BuddyPress privilege escalation via REST API
published 2021-03-26 5 y ago modified 2026-07-08 4 mo ago also EUVD-2021-2224 , GHSA-m6j4-8r7p-wpp3
- cvss
- 8.1
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 14.8%
- EPSS 14.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 96%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known, plus a Nuclei check
Summary
BuddyPress is an open source WordPress plugin to build a community site. In releases of BuddyPress from 5.0.0 before 7.2.1 it's possible for a non-privileged, regular user to obtain administrator rights by exploiting an issue in the REST API members endpoint. The vulnerability has been fixed in BuddyPress 7.2.1. Existing installations of the plugin should be updated to this version to mitigate the issue.
Patch / fix
- packagist buddypress/buddypress 7.2.1
- buddypress buddypress 7.2.1
Exploit prediction
14.81% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 96% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- Nuclei template BuddyPress REST API <7.2.1 - Privilege Escalation/Remote Code Execution nuclei detection template
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 3.1 | 8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| NVD | 3.1 | 8.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVD | 2.0 | 9.0 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| packagist | buddypress/buddypress | >=5.0.0, <7.2.1 |
7.2.1 |
Affected products
- buddypress BuddyPress
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization
- Technology feeds
References
-
buddypress.org
/2021/03/buddypress-7-2-1-security-release/
release-notes, vendor-advisory
-
codex.buddypress.org
/releases/version-7-2-1/
release-notes, vendor-advisory
-
github.com
/buddypress/BuddyPress/security/advisories/GHSA-m6j4-8r7p-wpp3
web, third-party-advisory
-
nvd.nist.gov
/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21389
advisory
-
buddypress.org
/2021/03/buddypress-7-2-1-security-release
web
-
codex.buddypress.org
/releases/version-7-2-1
web
-
github.com
/buddypress/BuddyPress
package
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2021-21389
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-m6j4-8r7p-wpp3
- NVD CVE-2021-21389
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