CVE-2026-119368 in The Events Calendar Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Liquid Web / StellarWP The Events Calendar the-events-calendar allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects The Events Calendar: from n/a through 6.18.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2026
The identified security flaw represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within the popular WordPress plugin, The Events Calendar, developed by StellarWP and distributed under the Liquid Web brand. This vulnerability is classified as an improper authorization issue where the application fails to enforce sufficient restrictions on authenticated users regarding specific actions or data access. Specifically, the software allows attackers with low-privilege accounts, such as subscribers or contributors who should not have administrative capabilities, to perform sensitive operations that are intended for administrators only. The affected versions span from initial releases up through version 6.18.2, indicating a long-standing exposure in the codebase where input validation and permission checks were either absent or incorrectly implemented for certain endpoints within the plugin's architecture.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability stems from a lack of proper server-side verification when processing requests related to event management features. In many WordPress plugins, functionality is exposed via AJAX handlers or REST API endpoints that rely on PHP capability checks to determine if the current user has permission to execute the requested action. In this case, these checks were either missing for specific functions or bypassed due to flawed logic in how roles and capabilities are mapped to actions. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request targeting these unprotected endpoints, effectively escalating their privileges within the application context without needing valid administrative credentials. This type of flaw is commonly associated with CWE-269, which defines Improper Privilege Management, as it allows users to operate outside the boundaries defined by their assigned role.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for any organization relying on The Events Calendar for public-facing or internal event management. Because the attacker can perform administrative actions, they may be able to create, modify, or delete events arbitrarily, potentially disrupting business operations and causing reputational damage. More critically, depending on how other plugins interact with these data structures, an attacker could leverage this access to inject malicious content into event descriptions or metadata, facilitating cross-site scripting attacks against visitors viewing the calendar. Furthermore, if the plugin stores sensitive information such as attendee details or payment confirmations in associated post meta fields that are also accessible through these endpoints, there is a risk of unauthorized data exfiltration. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, where an attacker uses legitimate credentials to gain initial access and then abuses those permissions to move laterally or escalate privileges within the web application environment.
To mitigate this vulnerability, site administrators must immediately update The Events Calendar plugin to a version newer than 6.18.2, which contains patches for these authorization checks. It is imperative to verify that no older versions remain active on any WordPress installation, as mixed-version environments can still expose vulnerabilities if legacy code paths are triggered. Additionally, organizations should implement strict role-based access control policies within their WordPress installations, ensuring that only trusted individuals have administrator-level privileges. Regular security audits and the use of web application firewalls configured to detect abnormal privilege escalation attempts can provide an additional layer of defense. Developers integrating this plugin into custom themes or other plugins must also ensure they are using the latest API versions and validating all user inputs against current capability standards before executing sensitive operations.