CVE-2021-21389
Medium PUBLISHEDBuddyPress privilege escalation via REST API
Not yet in CISA KEV
Recommended Action
Treat as actively exploited. Assess exposure, apply compensating controls where patching is delayed, and monitor for abuse.
At a Glance
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.
- Published
- Mar 26, 2021
- First Seen
- Jun 30, 2025
- CVSS
- 8.1 High
- EPSS
- —
Recommended Actions
- Treat as actively exploited. Assess exposure, apply compensating controls where patching is delayed, and monitor for abuse.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| The Shadowserver (via CIRCL) First | 2025-06-30 00:00 UTC |
Detection Context
Request patterns and scanner artifacts observed for this CVE. Operational detection logic guidance is coming soon.
Scanner Artifacts
Nuclei and Metasploit references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-21389.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Exploitation Status
Exploited in the wild
Recorded 2026-06-07 00:00:00 UTC · The Shadowserver (via CIRCL)
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2021-05-31 14:12:26 UTC · GitHub
Weaknesses (CWE)
-
Incorrect Authorization
Scanner Integrations
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-21389.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
github · Created 2021-05-31 14:12:26 UTC · 17 stars
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.
nuclei · Created Unknown
Timeline
-
Added to KEVIntel
-
Detected by Nuclei
-
Proof of Concept Exploit Available
-
CVE Published to Public
-
CVE ID Reserved
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v1/pro/kevs/CVE-2021-21389
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2021-21389",
"title": "BuddyPress privilege escalation via REST API",
"affected_vendor": "buddypress",
"affected_product": "BuddyPress",
"confidence": "Medium",
"cvss_score": 8.1,
"epss_score": null,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}