CVE-2026-106596 in Visual Composer Website Builder Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/08/2026
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Visual Composer Visual Composer Website Builder visualcomposer allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Visual Composer Website Builder: from n/a through 45.16.3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the Visual Composer website builder, a widely utilized plugin for WordPress environments that facilitates drag-and-drop page creation and content management. This vulnerability is classified as an improper access control issue, specifically falling under CWE-284 which denotes Improper Access Control. The core technical deficiency involves missing authorization checks in specific API endpoints or administrative functions exposed by the plugin. When a user interacts with these components, the system fails to adequately verify whether the authenticated session possesses the requisite privileges to perform the requested action. This oversight allows attackers who have obtained valid credentials for lower-privileged accounts, such as subscribers or contributors, to execute operations intended exclusively for administrators or editors. The vulnerability affects versions of Visual Composer Website Builder ranging from its initial release up through version 45.16.3, indicating a long-standing persistence in the codebase that has not been adequately addressed by previous patches.
From an operational perspective, this misconfiguration enables attackers to bypass security boundaries and escalate their privileges within the application context. By exploiting these incorrectly configured access control levels, malicious actors can manipulate site settings, inject malicious scripts, alter database entries, or install additional unauthorized plugins without proper oversight. This capability significantly compromises the integrity of the web application and potentially leads to full server compromise if combined with other vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting or file upload flaws. The impact extends beyond mere privilege escalation; it undermines the trust model of the CMS by allowing untrusted users to perform administrative tasks, thereby facilitating data exfiltration, defacement, or the establishment of persistent backdoors for future exploitation attempts.
In terms of threat modeling and industry standards, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, which covers Valid Accounts, specifically focusing on how attackers leverage legitimate credentials to gain unauthorized access due to poor authorization controls. It also relates to the broader category of broken access control identified in OWASP Top 10 as a critical risk vector for web applications. The lack of server-side validation for user roles represents a fundamental failure in implementing secure design principles, where trust is incorrectly assumed based on client-side inputs or session tokens rather than rigorous backend verification of permissions against defined role-based access policies.
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediate action must be taken to update the Visual Composer plugin to a version later than 45.16.3, provided that such a patched release exists and has been verified by the vendor. Organizations relying on this tool should prioritize patching as part of their routine maintenance cycles. In cases where updating is not immediately feasible due to compatibility constraints with other themes or plugins, temporary mitigations include restricting access to the WordPress admin area via IP whitelisting for administrative accounts only. Additionally, implementing a Web Application Firewall can help detect and block requests that attempt to exploit known authorization bypass patterns associated with this plugin. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on authentication and authorization logic are essential to prevent similar flaws from persisting in custom or third-party extensions within the WordPress ecosystem.