CVE-2026-78570 in Total Donations Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2026
The Total Donations plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.5. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to elevate their privileges to that of an adminsitrator.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2026
The vulnerability identified within the Total Donations plugin for WordPress represents a critical security flaw affecting all versions through 2.0.5. As a widely used extension designed to facilitate fundraising and donation processing on WordPress-based websites, this plugin handles sensitive user data and administrative functions. The core issue lies in insufficient access control mechanisms that fail to properly verify whether the initiating request originates from an authenticated administrator or any other user role. This architectural oversight allows unauthenticated attackers to interact with protected endpoints without valid credentials, effectively bypassing standard authentication protocols established by the WordPress framework.
From a technical perspective, this flaw is classified under CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Control. The vulnerability manifests when specific administrative functions or API endpoints within the plugin are accessible via HTTP requests that do not require nonce validation or capability checks for administrator-level permissions. By crafting malicious requests to these exposed interfaces, an attacker can execute actions reserved exclusively for site administrators. This includes modifying plugin settings, accessing donation records, and potentially altering database configurations. The absence of strict role-based access control enforcement means the application trusts client-side inputs regarding user identity rather than server-side validation of session tokens or permission levels.
The operational impact of this privilege escalation is severe, as it grants an unauthenticated actor full administrative control over the compromised WordPress installation. Once elevated to administrator status, the attacker can install malicious plugins, modify theme files, and execute arbitrary code on the server hosting the website. This level of access facilitates comprehensive data exfiltration, including donor personal information, financial transaction details, and login credentials stored in the database. Furthermore, the compromise enables the deployment of web shells or backdoors that persist even after initial remediation efforts if not thoroughly audited. The breach also damages organizational reputation by exposing sensitive constituent data to public view or sale on dark web markets.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, specifically the sub-technique of Default Accounts or stolen credentials, although in this case it involves gaining valid administrative privileges without prior authentication. It also relates to T1548, Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism, as the attacker exploits a weakness in how privilege levels are enforced within the application logic. The lack of proper input validation and authorization checks exemplifies common pitfalls in plugin development where security assumptions about user roles are not rigorously tested against untrusted inputs.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required to update the Total Donations plugin to version 2.0.6 or later, which addresses these access control deficiencies by implementing robust nonce verification and capability checks for all administrative endpoints. Organizations should also audit their WordPress installations for any other plugins with similar vulnerabilities that may have been overlooked during routine updates. Implementing a Web Application Firewall can provide an additional layer of defense by blocking suspicious request patterns associated with privilege escalation attempts, such as repeated POST requests to admin-ajax.php or specific plugin API routes without valid session tokens. Regular security audits and penetration testing focused on role-based access control will help identify similar weaknesses in custom code or third-party extensions before they are exploited in the wild.