Summary
Craft CMS Privilege Escalation
References
https://github.com/craftcms/cms/pull/13932
https://github.com/craftcms/cms/pull/13931
https://github.com/craftcms/cms/blob/develop/CHANGELOG.md#4511---2023-11-16
https://github.com/craftcms/cms/blob/v3/CHANGELOG.md#396---2023-11-16
Impact
This is a potential moderate impact, low complexity privilege escalation vulnerability in Craft with certain user permissions setups.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2024-21622 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). The vector is reachable from an adjacent network, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.5.11, 3.9.6); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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This has been fixed in Craft 4.4.16 and Craft 3.9.6. Users should ensure they are running at least those versions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-21622? CVE-2024-21622 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in craftcms/cms (composer), affecting versions >= 4.0.0-RC1, <= 4.5.10. It is fixed in 4.5.11, 3.9.6. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
- How severe is CVE-2024-21622? CVE-2024-21622 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of craftcms/cms are affected by CVE-2024-21622? craftcms/cms (composer) versions >= 4.0.0-RC1, <= 4.5.10 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-21622? Yes. CVE-2024-21622 is fixed in 4.5.11, 3.9.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-21622 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-21622 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2024-21622 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2024-21622?
- Upgrade
craftcms/cmsto 4.5.11 or later - Upgrade
craftcms/cmsto 3.9.6 or later
- Upgrade