CVE-2026-115257 in WP Roster Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/04/2026
The WP Roster WordPress plugin before 2.36 does not perform any capability or nonce checks before writing its stored roster data, allowing unauthenticated attackers to overwrite, wipe or restore the content of any roster.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2026
The vulnerability identified in versions of the WP Roster plugin prior to release 2.36 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within the WordPress ecosystem. This flaw stems from an absence of proper validation checks before processing user-supplied data for storage operations. Specifically, the application fails to verify whether the requesting entity possesses the necessary administrative capabilities or holds a valid noncesecurity token required for modifying roster configurations and content. In secure web applications, particularly those built on frameworks like WordPress that rely heavily on role-based access control, every state-changing operation must be authenticated and authorized. The lack of these checks effectively neutralizes the security boundaries intended to protect sensitive site data from unauthorized modification by external actors or malicious users with minimal privileges.
From a technical perspective, this deficiency allows unauthenticated attackers to interact directly with the plugin's backend endpoints without needing valid login credentials. By exploiting this gap in input validation and authorization logic, an attacker can craft specific HTTP requests that bypass standard security protocols. The core issue lies in the server-side processing of roster data updates where no verification is conducted against the current user session or permission levels. This type of flaw is commonly categorized under CWE-284 Improper Access Control, as it permits actions to be performed by users who should not have access to those functions. Furthermore, because the vulnerability allows for arbitrary overwriting and wiping of data, it also aligns with CWE-913 Improvement of Control Over Command Line Interface if command execution is involved, but more accurately fits CWE-602 Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side Security when considering the reliance on client-side checks which are easily bypassed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for data integrity compromise and service disruption. An unauthenticated attacker can overwrite existing roster information with malicious content, effectively defacing the website or injecting harmful scripts if cross-site scripting vectors exist within the stored data fields. More critically, the ability to wipe roster data leads to a complete loss of availability for that specific feature set, disrupting business operations that rely on accurate member lists or team structures. Additionally, the capability to restore previous versions of rosters could be abused by attackers to revert security configurations or hide traces of other malicious activities they may have performed earlier. This lack of integrity control undermines trust in the application and can lead to significant reputational damage for site administrators who depend on reliable data management tools.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate patching and enhanced input validation practices. The primary remediation is to upgrade the WP Roster plugin to version 2.36 or later, where these capability and nonce checks have been implemented by the developers. For organizations unable to update immediately due to compatibility constraints, temporary workarounds should include restricting access to WordPress admin directories via IP whitelisting in web server configurations such as Nginx or Apache. Additionally, implementing a Web Application Firewall can help detect and block suspicious POST requests targeting roster-related endpoints that lack valid security tokens. Long-term resilience requires adhering to secure coding standards like OWASP Top 10, specifically focusing on Broken Access Control (A01:2021) by ensuring all state-changing operations enforce strict server-side authorization checks regardless of client-side validations. Regular audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar gaps in other plugins or custom code within the WordPress environment.