CVE-2026-80333 in Solace Extra Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
The Solace Extra WordPress plugin before 1.7.2 does not perform any authorization or post-status checks on its front-end preview routes, allowing unauthenticated visitors to read the rendered content of non-published posts and pages of any type that WordPress would otherwise not serve.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The vulnerability identified in Solace Extra WordPress plugin versions prior to 1.7.2 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within the application's front-end preview functionality. This flaw stems from an insufficient authorization check on specific routes designed for content previews, which are intended to allow authors and administrators to view drafts or unpublished work before publication. In standard web application security models, such endpoints must enforce strict authentication and permission verification to ensure that only users with appropriate privileges can access sensitive pre-release data. However, the affected implementation fails to validate whether the requesting user is authenticated or possesses the necessary capabilities to view the specific post type being requested. This oversight creates a direct path for unauthenticated actors to bypass intended content restrictions.
From a technical perspective, this issue classifies as an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) combined with Broken Access Control vulnerabilities. The Common Weakness Enumeration categorizes this under CWE-284: Improper Access Control and CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Destination if the preview logic involves redirections, though primarily it aligns with CWE-862: Missing Authorization. By omitting post-status checks on these routes, the application treats all requests for preview content equally regardless of user identity or role. Consequently, an attacker can construct specific HTTP GET requests targeting known or enumerated post IDs associated with draft, pending, or private posts. Since WordPress typically restricts access to non-published content based on user capability levels such as edit_posts or read_private_pages, the absence of these checks in the plugin's preview handler effectively neutralizes this native protection layer.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on WordPress for sensitive internal communications or confidential project planning. Unauthenticated visitors can retrieve rendered HTML content from posts and pages that are not publicly visible. This includes drafts containing proprietary business strategies, private correspondence between employees, or pending legal documents that have not yet been approved for public release. The ability to read this data without authentication constitutes a severe confidentiality breach. Attackers do not need valid credentials or complex exploitation techniques; they merely require knowledge of the post ID structure used by the WordPress installation, which is often predictable or easily discoverable through standard enumeration tools or sitemap analysis.
This vulnerability maps directly to several tactics in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for enterprise security. It aligns with T1078: Valid Accounts if an attacker were to use stolen credentials, but more accurately reflects T1530: Data from Cloud Storage Objects when considering how data is exposed via API-like endpoints, and specifically relates to Discovery techniques such as T1619: Cloud Infrastructure Discovery where the goal is to map out available resources. In a broader context, it supports reconnaissance activities by allowing attackers to gather intelligence on an organization's internal operations without triggering typical authentication failure logs that might alert security teams. The lack of proper access control allows for passive data exfiltration, making detection difficult unless specific monitoring for unauthorized preview endpoint accesses is implemented.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action must be taken to update the Solace Extra plugin to version 1.7.2 or later, where these authorization checks have been properly implemented. For organizations unable to patch immediately due to compatibility concerns with other plugins or themes, a temporary workaround involves restricting access to WordPress preview endpoints via web application firewall rules. Administrators should configure their WAF to block GET requests to the specific preview query parameters associated with this plugin unless they originate from authenticated sessions with valid cookies and tokens. Additionally, implementing strict logging for all attempts to access non-public content can help in detecting ongoing exploitation attempts while a permanent fix is deployed. Regular security audits of custom plugins are essential to ensure that future updates do not reintroduce similar flaws by neglecting standard WordPress capability checks during the development process.