CVE-2026-105977 in Portfolio Filter Gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/10/2026
The Portfolio Filter Gallery WordPress plugin before 2.2.1 does not perform a per-object authorization check before deleting an attachment, allowing users with the Contributor role and above to permanently delete certain media attachments belonging to other users, including administrators.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/10/2026
The vulnerability identified in the Portfolio Filter Gallery WordPress plugin prior to version 2.2.1 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms, specifically categorized under CWE-862 as Missing Authorization. This flaw arises from the absence of per-object authorization checks within the attachment deletion functionality. In secure web application design, it is imperative that any operation modifying or deleting data verifies not only the user's general role but also their specific ownership or permission rights regarding the individual resource being accessed. The plugin fails to implement this granular verification step, thereby allowing authenticated users with a Contributor role and higher privileges to execute deletion commands on media attachments regardless of who originally uploaded them. This architectural oversight effectively bypasses the intended isolation between different user accounts within the WordPress ecosystem.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables unauthorized data destruction by lower-privileged users against high-privilege targets. A malicious or compromised account with Contributor status can permanently remove images and files belonging to administrators or other senior staff members. This capability leads directly to a loss of integrity for the website's media library and potentially causes service disruption if critical visual assets are removed from public-facing pages. The impact extends beyond simple data loss, as it undermines trust in the platform's security model by allowing privilege escalation effects where lower-level users can exert destructive control over higher-level resources without any administrative approval or oversight.
This type of vulnerability aligns with several tactics within the MITRE ATT&CK framework for enterprise environments. It corresponds to Defense Evasion techniques such as T1078 Valid Accounts, where an attacker uses legitimate credentials to perform actions outside their intended scope. Furthermore, it relates to Impact categories like T1485 Data Destruction and T1239 Resource Hijacking if the deleted assets are critical for system operation or reputation. The lack of object-level permission checks is a common pitfall in content management systems where developers may rely solely on role-based access control at the endpoint level rather than implementing resource-specific validation logic within the application code itself.
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediate action must be taken to update the Portfolio Filter Gallery plugin to version 2.2.1 or later, which addresses these authorization flaws by enforcing proper per-object checks during deletion operations. Administrators should also audit user roles and ensure that only trusted individuals are assigned elevated privileges such as Contributor or above. Implementing additional security layers like Web Application Firewalls can provide some protection against automated exploitation attempts, but the primary defense remains patch management and code-level fixes that enforce strict ownership verification before any destructive action is permitted on media assets. Regular security audits focusing on access control logic in custom plugins are recommended to prevent similar misconfigurations in future updates or third-party extensions.