CVE-2026-13612 in KiviCare Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/12/2026
The KiviCare WordPress plugin before 4.5.2 does not verify that the requesting user owns the records being accessed, allowing authenticated patient-level users to read other patients' bills, invoices and appointment details.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2026
The vulnerability in KiviCare WordPress plugin versions prior to 4.5.2 represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the confidentiality of protected health information. This issue stems from inadequate authorization checks within the plugin's data retrieval mechanisms, where authenticated users at the patient level can bypass normal security boundaries to access sensitive medical records belonging to other patients. The vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and data separation that are essential in healthcare environments where patient privacy is paramount.
From a technical perspective, the flaw manifests as a missing validation step in the plugin's API endpoints or database query handlers that should verify user ownership before returning medical data. Patient-level users typically have restricted access to their own records only, but the absence of proper access control checks allows these users to manipulate requests or exploit query parameters to retrieve information belonging to other patients. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-284 which specifically addresses inadequate access control mechanisms, and can be classified as an authorization bypass vulnerability within the ATT&CK framework under the technique of privilege escalation through access control manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for healthcare providers using the KiviCare plugin, as it creates a significant data breach risk that could expose sensitive patient information including billing details, invoice records, and appointment scheduling information. Healthcare organizations face potential regulatory violations under HIPAA guidelines and similar privacy legislation when such unauthorized access occurs, potentially resulting in substantial financial penalties and reputational damage. The vulnerability affects not only the confidentiality of patient data but also undermines trust in the healthcare system's digital infrastructure and compliance with industry standards for protecting personal health information.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to KiviCare plugin version 4.5.2 or later, which includes proper access control validation mechanisms that verify user ownership before returning medical records. Additionally, administrators should implement network segmentation and monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized data access patterns, while conducting thorough security audits of all healthcare-related plugins and applications. The mitigation strategy must include regular vulnerability assessments, proper role-based access control implementation, and continuous monitoring of API endpoints for suspicious activity. Compliance with industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001 should be maintained through systematic security controls that address access control vulnerabilities like this one.