How severe is CVE-2024-9161?

CVE-2024-9161 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability low.

Is CVE-2024-9161 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2024-9161?

CVE-2024-9161 affects Rankmath Seo. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2024-9161?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2024-9161 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2024-9161 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2024-49763.

When was CVE-2024-9161 published?

CVE-2024-9161 was published on 2024-10-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2024-9161

CVE-2024-9161 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Rankmath Seo with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-862.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2024-49763
Weakness: CWE-862
Affected product: Rankmath Seo
Published: 2024-10-05
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2024-9161?: 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.
How severe is CVE-2024-9161?: CVE-2024-9161 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability low.
Is CVE-2024-9161 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2024-9161?: CVE-2024-9161 affects Rankmath Seo. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2024-9161?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2024-9161 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2024-9161 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2024-49763.
When was CVE-2024-9161 published?: CVE-2024-9161 was published on 2024-10-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:rankmath:seo:*:*:*:*:free:wordpress:*:*

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CVE-2020-11514 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The Rank Math plugin through 1.0.40.2 for WordPress allows unauthenticated remote attackers to update arbitrary…
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CVE-2022-36376 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in Rank Math SEO plugin <= 1.0.95 at WordPress.
CVE-2023-32600 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): Auth. (contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Rank Math SEO plugin <= 1.0.119 versions.
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