CVE-2026-28005 in Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/06/2026
Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation in Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer <= 1.5.19 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2026
The vulnerability identified in Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer versions prior to 1.5.20 represents a critical unauthenticated privilege escalation flaw that allows attackers to gain administrative access to WordPress sites without requiring valid credentials. This vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization checks within the plugin's email template management functionality, where specific endpoints fail to verify user authentication status before executing administrative operations. The flaw exists in the plugin's handling of AJAX requests and administrative actions related to email template customization and configuration, creating an attack vector that bypasses standard WordPress authentication mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of request parameters and direct access to administrative functions through the WordPress ajax interface. Attackers can exploit this by sending crafted HTTP requests to specific plugin endpoints that control email template modifications, theme adjustments, and configuration settings. The absence of proper capability checks means that any user, whether authenticated or not, can perform actions typically restricted to administrators. This flaw aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control vulnerabilities, specifically focusing on insufficient authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the widespread adoption of WooCommerce and Kadence plugins, creating a significant attack surface across numerous e-commerce websites.
The operational consequences of this privilege escalation vulnerability are severe and multifaceted, potentially allowing attackers to completely compromise affected WordPress installations. Successful exploitation enables unauthorized modification of email templates which could be used for phishing campaigns or malicious content distribution, while also providing access to sensitive administrative functions such as plugin configuration changes, theme modifications, and user management operations. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious code into email templates, redirect traffic through compromised email systems, or establish persistent backdoors within the WordPress environment. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts usage, as attackers can effectively assume administrative privileges without proper authentication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action including updating to Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer version 1.5.20 or later where the authorization checks have been properly implemented. System administrators should also implement additional security measures such as restricting access to WordPress ajax endpoints through web application firewalls, monitoring for unusual administrative requests, and conducting thorough security audits of all installed plugins. Network-level protections including rate limiting and request validation can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management systems to ensure timely updates of vulnerable components. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper authorization controls in web applications and highlights how seemingly minor implementation flaws in plugin code can create significant security risks for entire WordPress installations.