CVE-2026-94499 in FormGent Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
Subscriber Broken Access Control in FormGent <= 1.12.2 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as Subscriber Broken Access Control within the FormGent plugin, specifically affecting versions up to and including 1.12.2, represents a critical failure in enforcing proper authorization policies for user roles on WordPress-based websites. This flaw allows authenticated users with lower privileges, such as subscribers or contributors, to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators or editors. The core of the issue lies in the plugin's insufficient validation of user capabilities before processing requests related to subscriber management and form data handling. By failing to verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary permissions for a specific operation, the application inadvertently exposes sensitive administrative functions to unauthorized actors. This type of vulnerability is fundamentally categorized under CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management, as it involves an actor obtaining more privileges than intended by the system's security architecture.
From a technical perspective, the exploitation of this broken access control typically occurs through crafted HTTP requests that target specific endpoints within the FormGent plugin interface. An attacker who has successfully authenticated to the WordPress site with even minimal user rights can manipulate these parameters to execute administrative tasks. These tasks may include creating new administrator accounts, modifying existing user roles, or accessing and exporting sensitive form submissions stored in the database. The lack of server-side checks means that client-side restrictions are easily bypassed, allowing the malicious requests to be processed by the backend logic without triggering an access denied response. This scenario aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, where attackers leverage legitimate credentials to gain unauthorized access and escalate their privileges within the environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations relying on FormGent for data collection or user management. If exploited successfully, an attacker can achieve full control over the WordPress installation by creating a new administrator account with known credentials. This leads to complete compromise of the web application, including the ability to inject malicious code, deface the website, install backdoors, and exfiltrate sensitive customer data collected through forms. Beyond direct site compromise, this vulnerability facilitates lateral movement within an organization's network if the WordPress server is connected to other internal systems. The breach undermines the integrity and confidentiality of the application, potentially resulting in significant financial loss, reputational damage, and non-compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA due to the exposure of personally identifiable information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability focus on immediate remediation through software updates and enhanced security configurations. The primary recommendation is to upgrade FormGent to version 1.12.3 or later, where the developers have implemented proper capability checks to ensure that only users with administrative privileges can access sensitive endpoints. In cases where updating is not immediately feasible, administrators should restrict user registration if it is not required for their specific use case, thereby reducing the attack surface available to potential attackers. Additionally, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) can provide an additional layer of defense by detecting and blocking anomalous request patterns associated with privilege escalation attempts. Regular security audits and penetration testing are also advised to identify similar access control flaws in other plugins or custom code within the WordPress ecosystem, ensuring a robust posture against broken access control vulnerabilities.