CVE-2026-11995 in Gutena Forms Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/01/2026
The Gutena Forms – Contact Form, Survey Form, Feedback Form, Booking Form, and Custom Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.0. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to modify the read/unread status of or permanently trash arbitrary form submission entries belonging to any form. The nonce issued by check_ajax_referer() does not function as an authorization barrier because the nonce action 'gutena_Forms' is emitted to unauthenticated visitors via wp_localize_script() on any public page that contains a Gutena Forms block, making it freely obtainable by anonymous attackers.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2026
The Gutena Forms plugin for WordPress presents a critical authorization bypass vulnerability affecting all versions up to and including 1.9.0, which fundamentally undermines the security model of form submission management. This vulnerability stems from improper user authentication verification mechanisms within the plugin's backend processing functions, creating a scenario where unauthenticated attackers can manipulate form data without proper credentials or privileges.
The technical flaw manifests through the inadequate protection of AJAX nonce validation within the plugin's architecture. Specifically, the nonce action 'gutena_Forms' is exposed to all website visitors through the wp_localize_script() function, which broadcasts this security token to any public page containing a Gutena Forms block regardless of user authentication status. This exposure occurs at the frontend level where anonymous users can easily extract the nonce value through browser inspection tools or network monitoring utilities, effectively eliminating the intended authorization barrier.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to encompass full control over form submission lifecycle management. Attackers can permanently trash any form submission entries across all forms within the plugin's scope, while also being able to modify the read/unread status of arbitrary submissions belonging to any form on the website. This compromise allows malicious actors to both destroy valuable user data and manipulate the visibility of form responses, potentially hiding sensitive information or disrupting legitimate business operations.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-863 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) and represents a classic example of improper access control implementation in web applications. The attack vector follows patterns consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 (Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts) where attackers exploit exposed authentication tokens to perform unauthorized operations, though in this case the vulnerability creates an inherent weakness rather than relying on stolen credentials.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and architectural improvements within the plugin's security implementation. The most critical step involves modifying the plugin code to ensure that nonce validation occurs only for authenticated users with appropriate privileges, while eliminating the exposure of sensitive security tokens to unauthenticated visitors through wp_localize_script(). Additionally, implementing proper session management and request origin verification would prevent unauthorized access attempts even if the nonce were somehow compromised. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect unusual patterns of form submission manipulation and establish regular security audits of third-party WordPress plugins to identify similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities that may exist in other software components.