CVE-2026-74929 in Project Manager Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
The Project Manager WordPress plugin before 4.0.7 does not restrict several of its REST API routes to the projects a user belongs to, allowing any authenticated user, such as a subscriber, to read other projects' task content and user email addresses and to modify other projects' task boards.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified in Project Manager WordPress plugin versions prior to 4.0.7 represents a critical failure in server-side access control logic within the application's REST API implementation. This flaw stems from an insufficient authorization check that fails to validate whether the authenticated user initiating an HTTP request has legitimate ownership or membership rights for the specific project resources being accessed. In secure web applications, particularly those handling sensitive business data like project management tools, it is imperative that every API endpoint enforces strict object-level permissions. The absence of this validation mechanism allows any logged-in user to bypass intended security boundaries and interact with data belonging to other users or organizations within the same WordPress installation.
From a technical perspective, the core issue lies in the lack of proper input sanitization regarding resource ownership during REST API route processing. When an authenticated user sends a request to read task content or modify project boards, the backend logic does not cross-reference the requesting user's ID against the assigned members list for that specific project ID. This oversight effectively treats all projects as public resources accessible to any valid credential set on the platform. Consequently, users with low-privilege roles, such as subscribers who typically have minimal capabilities in WordPress environments, are granted elevated privileges equivalent to those of administrators or project managers regarding data visibility and modification rights for unrelated projects.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for widespread information disclosure and unauthorized state changes. Attackers can exploit the unrestricted read endpoints to exfiltrate sensitive task details, which may include proprietary business strategies, client communications, or internal deadlines. Furthermore, the ability to access user email addresses associated with other projects facilitates targeted phishing campaigns and social engineering attacks against employees within an organization. The write capabilities allow attackers to alter project boards by adding, removing, or modifying tasks, thereby disrupting workflow continuity, introducing malicious instructions into development pipelines, or causing denial of service through chaotic data manipulation that undermines team coordination and trust in the system's integrity.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Improper Access Control, specifically reflecting a failure to enforce proper authorization checks on API endpoints. It also maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, as it relies on legitimate credentials to gain unauthorized access to resources, and T1530 Data from Cloud Storage Objects if the data is considered stored remotely via the plugin's architecture. The exploitation path typically involves crafting specific HTTP requests with valid session cookies or authentication tokens directed at the vulnerable REST API endpoints, requiring no special privileges beyond a basic account on the compromised WordPress site.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate remediation through software updates and defensive configuration changes. Administrators should upgrade to Project Manager version 4.0.7 or later where these access control checks have been implemented correctly. In scenarios where updating is not immediately feasible, temporary mitigations include restricting REST API access for lower-privilege user roles using security plugins that can filter wp-json requests based on role capabilities. Additionally, implementing a Web Application Firewall with rules targeting known vulnerable endpoints and monitoring logs for anomalous patterns of cross-project data access can help detect exploitation attempts in real-time. Regular auditing of plugin code for proper authorization logic is essential to prevent similar flaws from persisting in future updates or other plugins within the ecosystem.