CVE-2026-65487 in Photography Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/23/2026
Unauthenticated Broken Access Control in Photography <= 7.7.6 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2026
The vulnerability identified as unauthenticated broken access control in the Photography plugin versions up to 7.7.6 represents a critical security flaw that allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to restricted functionality. This issue stems from improper validation of user permissions within the plugin's codebase, specifically affecting the core access control system that should enforce authentication requirements before granting access to sensitive operations. The vulnerability enables malicious actors to perform actions typically restricted to authenticated administrators or users with specific privileges without providing valid credentials.
This type of broken access control vulnerability falls under the CWE-285 category, which specifically addresses improper authorization within software systems. The flaw manifests when the plugin fails to properly verify whether a user has adequate permissions before executing sensitive operations such as modifying plugin settings, accessing administrative functions, or manipulating photographic content. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly calling restricted endpoints or manipulating API requests without authentication tokens or session validation. The vulnerability exists due to inadequate input sanitization and missing authorization checks in the plugin's request handling logic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code, modify or delete photographic content, alter plugin configurations, and access sensitive user data. In a WordPress environment, this could enable attackers to escalate privileges within the blogging platform, compromise the entire website, or use the compromised system as a launching point for further attacks against other systems. The vulnerability affects any user who has access to the Photography plugin's functionality, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where legitimate users might be unaware of the unauthorized access occurring.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper authentication and authorization checks throughout all plugin endpoints, ensuring that every request undergoes rigorous validation before executing privileged operations. Security professionals should recommend immediate updates to version 7.7.7 or later, which contain patches addressing the broken access control issue. Additional protective measures include implementing rate limiting, monitoring for suspicious API activity, and conducting regular security audits of plugin code. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure, while ensuring that all WordPress plugins are regularly updated to address known vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique through unauthorized access control, emphasizing the importance of proper authorization mechanisms in preventing such attacks.