CVE-2026-39725 in Content Visibility for Divi Builder Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/06/2026
Contributor Remote Code Execution (RCE) in Content Visibility for Divi Builder <= 5.03 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2026
The vulnerability identified as Contributor Remote Code Execution within the Content Visibility feature of the Divi Builder plugin, affecting versions up to and including 5.03, represents a critical security flaw that allows authenticated users with lower-level privileges to execute arbitrary code on the target server. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and improper access control mechanisms embedded in how the plugin processes user-generated content for visibility settings. Specifically, the Content Visibility module is designed to restrict where specific elements appear based on criteria such as URL patterns or device types. However, due to a lack of rigorous sanitization when handling these configuration inputs, an attacker can inject malicious payloads that are subsequently executed by the server-side PHP engine during the rendering process. This flaw effectively bypasses the intended privilege boundaries, allowing contributors and subscribers who typically have limited capabilities to escalate their access significantly beyond what is permitted for such roles in a standard WordPress environment.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-94 Improper Control of Generation of Code or Script, commonly known as code injection. The root cause lies in the failure to properly sanitize user-supplied data before it is processed by internal functions that generate visibility rules. When an authenticated contributor submits content containing specially crafted input within the Content Visibility settings, the application fails to escape special characters or validate the structure of the input against a strict whitelist. Consequently, this malicious code becomes part of the execution context when WordPress attempts to evaluate whether the element should be displayed on a given page. This scenario is particularly dangerous because it does not require administrative privileges, which are often more heavily monitored and secured than contributor-level accounts. The exploitation vector typically involves logging into the WordPress dashboard as a low-privileged user, navigating to the Divi Builder interface for any post or page they can edit, and inserting the malicious payload within the visibility configuration fields.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, primarily because it facilitates full system compromise through Remote Code Execution. Once an attacker successfully injects their code, they gain the ability to execute arbitrary PHP commands with the same privileges as the web server process. This level of access allows for a wide range of malicious activities, including but not limited to defacing websites, stealing sensitive data such as user credentials and database contents, installing backdoors or malware, and pivoting to attack other systems within the internal network infrastructure. In many hosting environments, the web server runs with elevated permissions relative to standard users, meaning that successful exploitation can lead to complete control over the underlying operating system files accessible by the web process. This undermines the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the entire hosted environment, posing significant risks to both site owners and their end-users who may have their personal data compromised through subsequent attacks facilitated by this initial foothold.
In terms of threat classification, this vulnerability maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically within the context of server-side scripting languages like PHP. The attack pattern involves an adversary leveraging a software flaw to gain execution capabilities on a remote system without direct authentication or by exploiting weak access controls for lower-privileged accounts. This aligns with broader categories of insecure default configurations and insufficient privilege management found in many popular content management systems where third-party plugins introduce complex functionality that may not adhere strictly to security best practices during development. The presence of such vulnerabilities highlights the risks associated with relying on extensive plugin ecosystems without rigorous vetting, as even well-known plugins can contain critical flaws due to rapid release cycles or oversight in code review processes for edge cases involving role-based access control and input handling.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required by updating the Divi Builder plugin to a version newer than 5.03 where these specific vulnerabilities have been patched by the developers. Site administrators should verify that all instances of the affected software are upgraded promptly to eliminate the attack surface associated with improper code generation and input validation flaws. In addition to applying updates, it is advisable to implement strict role-based access controls within WordPress, ensuring that only trusted users with administrative privileges can modify complex plugin settings or upload files if possible. Furthermore, deploying a Web Application Firewall can provide an additional layer of defense by filtering out malicious payloads before they reach the application logic, although this should not be relied upon as a sole mitigation strategy given the nature of authenticated attacks. Regular security audits and penetration testing focused on input validation and privilege escalation paths are recommended to identify similar weaknesses in other plugins or custom code that may share analogous architectural flaws.