CVE-2026-81759 in WpEvently Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/28/2026
Contributor Broken Access Control in WpEvently <= 5.5.0 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2026
The vulnerability identified as Contributor Broken Access Control within the WpEvently plugin, affecting versions up to and including 5.5.0, represents a critical flaw in the application's authorization logic that allows lower-privileged users to perform actions reserved for administrators or higher-level roles. This issue stems from insufficient server-side validation of user permissions when processing requests related to event management features. In typical WordPress architectures, capabilities are strictly enforced through role-based access control mechanisms; however, this implementation fails to verify whether the authenticated contributor possesses the necessary privileges before executing sensitive operations such as creating, editing, or deleting events and associated metadata.
From a technical perspective, the flaw likely resides in the handling of HTTP POST requests where the plugin processes data submitted by users with the Contributor role. Instead of checking for specific capabilities like edit_published_events or manage_categories, the code proceeds to update database records directly based on user input. This lack of rigorous access control verification enables an attacker who has obtained valid credentials for a contributor account to escalate their effective privileges within the application context. By manipulating request parameters, such as altering post status values or modifying taxonomy assignments that require administrative oversight, the attacker can bypass intended restrictions and exert influence over content that should remain under strict administrative review.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly in multi-author environments where contributors are expected to submit drafts for approval rather than publish live content immediately. An exploited contributor could potentially publish events without editorial oversight, inject malicious scripts through event descriptions if input sanitization is also compromised, or disrupt the scheduling and categorization structure intended by site administrators. This undermines the integrity of the website's content management workflow and exposes the organization to reputational damage and potential security incidents resulting from unauthorized public-facing changes. Furthermore, it violates the principle of least privilege, a core tenet of secure system design, thereby increasing the attack surface for further exploitation if combined with other vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting or SQL injection within the same plugin modules.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-862, which describes Missing Authorization, and falls under MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, specifically in the context of privilege escalation through misconfigured permissions. To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required to update WpEvently to a version greater than 5.5.0 where these access control checks have been rectified by the developers. In cases where updating is not immediately feasible, administrators should consider restricting contributor capabilities using security plugins that enforce stricter role definitions or disabling specific plugin features accessible via REST API endpoints if they are exposed and vulnerable. Regular auditing of user roles and permissions across WordPress installations remains essential to prevent similar authorization bypasses in other components.