# CVE-2021-24219: Thrive Optimize - Authentication Bypass

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2021-24219 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2021-24219

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 5.3
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Thrive Themes Thrive Optimize, Thrive Themes Thrive Comments, Thrive Themes Thrive Headline Optimizer, Thrive Themes Thrive Leads, Thrive Themes Thrive Ultimatum, Thrive Themes Thrive Quiz Builder, Thrive Themes Thrive Apprentice, Thrive Themes Thrive Visual Editor, Thrive Themes Thrive Dashboard, Thrive Themes Thrive Ovation, Thrive Themes Thrive Clever Widgets, Thrive Themes Rise by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Ignition by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Luxe by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes FocusBlog by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Minus by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Squared by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Voice, Thrive Themes Performag by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Pressive by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Storied by Thrive Themes, Thrive Themes Builder
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-284 (Improper Access Control); CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function)
- **Tags:** wordpress, cms

## Description

The Thrive Optimize WordPress plugin before 1.4.13.3, Thrive Comments WordPress plugin before 1.4.15.3, Thrive Headline Optimizer WordPress plugin before 1.3.7.3, Thrive Leads WordPress plugin before 2.3.9.4, Thrive Ultimatum WordPress plugin before 2.3.9.4, Thrive Quiz Builder WordPress plugin before 2.3.9.4, Thrive Apprentice WordPress plugin before 2.3.9.4, Thrive Visual Editor WordPress plugin before 2.6.7.4, Thrive Dashboard WordPress plugin before 2.3.9.3, Thrive Ovation WordPress plugin before 2.4.5, Thrive Clever Widgets WordPress plugin before 1.57.1 and Rise by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Ignition by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Luxe by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, FocusBlog by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Minus by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Squared by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Voice WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Performag by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Pressive by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Storied by Thrive Themes WordPress theme before 2.0.0, Thrive Themes Builder WordPress theme before 2.2.4 register a REST API endpoint associated with Zapier functionality. While this endpoint was intended to require an API key in order to access, it was possible to access it by supplying an empty api_key parameter in vulnerable versions if Zapier was not enabled. Attackers could use this endpoint to add arbitrary data to a predefined option in the wp_options table.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2021-24219](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2021-24219) is a vulnerability affecting multiple Thrive Themes WordPress plugins and themes, where a REST API endpoint intended for Zapier integration could be accessed without proper authentication by supplying an empty API key. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to add arbitrary data to a predefined option in the WordPress wp_options table, potentially leading to unauthorized configuration changes or data manipulation. Exploiting this vulnerability could enable attackers to tamper with site settings or introduce malicious data, impacting the integrity of affected WordPress sites.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 15th of October 2025.

CrowdSec network observations suggest that most exploitation of CVE-2021-24219 involves focused reconnaissance to identify viable targets. Attackers typically tailor their campaigns based on system exposure and configuration. It is unlikely that a given attack is accidental.
CrowdSec network telemetry also shows that exploitation of CVE-2021-24219 has significantly declined over the past week. Attack volumes are well below the long-term average, suggesting attackers are rapidly losing interest. The vulnerability appears to be falling out of active use across most threat landscapes.

Attackers exploit the unauthenticated `/wp-json/td/v1/optin/subscription` REST API endpoint by sending POST requests with an empty `api_key` parameter, allowing arbitrary updates to WordPress options without proper authorization.

## Timeline

- 2021-04-12: CVE Published. CVE-2021-24219 is published to NVD.
- 2025-10-15: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2021-24219 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2025-10-16: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2021-24219 for the first time.

## References

- https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/35acd2d8-85fc-4af5-8f6c-224fa7d92900
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-24219.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2021-24219) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2021-24219. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.