Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
ProjectSend before r1720 has a critical authentication failure that can let an internet attacker change application settings without logging in. Reported impacts include creating accounts, uploading webshells, and injecting malicious JavaScript. CISA lists this CVE as known exploited, so exposed systems should be treated as urgent.
Executive priority
Immediate action is warranted for any exposed ProjectSend instance. Because CISA lists this as exploited and the impact can include remote compromise, prioritize patching, exposure reduction, and incident review over routine maintenance.
Technical view
CVE-2024-11680 is CWE-306 improper authentication in ProjectSend. Crafted unauthenticated HTTP requests to options.php can modify configuration. The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8. Public references include a vendor commit, third-party research, detection content, and exploit modules, indicating broad researcher and attacker awareness.
Likely exposure
Highest risk is internet-facing ProjectSend instances running versions prior to r1720. Exposure may include file-sharing portals, client upload systems, or internal deployments reachable by untrusted networks. Confirm exact version and whether options.php is accessible.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported by CISA KEV listing. Public exploit and scanning references also exist. Successful exploitation can enable account creation, malicious uploads, webshell placement, and JavaScript injection, creating risks of server compromise and user/session theft.
Researcher notes
Sources describe unauthenticated configuration modification via options.php in ProjectSend before r1720. Public exploit and detection artifacts exist, but this summary intentionally avoids weaponization details. Evidence supports critical severity and known exploitation; environment-specific blast radius depends on deployment exposure and file execution controls.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade ProjectSend to r1720 or later, following vendor guidance.
- If upgrade is delayed, restrict access to ProjectSend from trusted networks only.
- Review ProjectSend configuration for unauthorized changes.
- Remove unknown accounts, uploaded scripts, and unexpected JavaScript customizations.
- Check vendor and CISA guidance for any updated remediation requirements.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all ProjectSend deployments and record their versions.
- Confirm whether any instance is older than r1720.
- Check web server logs for suspicious unauthenticated requests to options.php.
- Review application audit data for configuration changes and new accounts.
- Inspect upload directories for unexpected executable files or webshell indicators.
Public sources used
Michael Williams reviewed this cited source version on .
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-306: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2024-11680 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- Source timelineVulnCheck
Synactiv discloses to ProjectSend
- Source timelineVulnCheck
ProjectSend patches the vulnerability
- Source timelineVulnCheck
Synactiv releases an advisory
- Source timelineVulnCheck
ProjectSend releases the official patch in r1720
- Source timelineVulnCheck
A Metasploit pull request is opened
- Source timelineVulnCheck
A Nuclei pull request is opened
- Source timelineVulnCheck
A CVE is assigned
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- Added to KEVCISA-ADP
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities metadata lists this CVE as known exploited.
- ADP timelineCISA-ADP
CVE-2024-11680 added to CISA KEV
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2024-12-03T00:00:00.000Z: CVE-2024-11680 added to CISA KEV
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/projectsend/projectsend/commit/193367d937b1a59ed5b68dd4e60bd53317473744CVE reference, VulnCheck · patch
- https://www.synacktiv.com/sites/default/files/2024-07/synacktiv-projectsend-multiple-vulnerabilities.pdfCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory, exploit
- https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/http/projectsend_unauth_rce.rbCVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/vulnerabilities/projectsend-auth-bypass.yamlCVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- https://vulncheck.com/advisories/projectsend-bypassCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-11680CVE reference, CISA-ADP · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Missing Authentication for Critical Function represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.