CVE-2026-97066 in GiveWP Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
Unauthenticated Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) in GiveWP <= 4.16.9 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as an Unauthenticated Insecure Direct Object Reference within GiveWP, specifically affecting versions up to and including 4.16.9, represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms that allows attackers to manipulate object identifiers on the server side without prior authentication. This class of flaw is formally categorized under CWE-639, which describes situations where an application exposes internal implementation objects such as files or database records through user-supplied input data. In the context of GiveWP, a widely used donation plugin for WordPress, this vulnerability typically manifests in endpoints that handle donor information, form configurations, or transactional data. The core technical flaw lies in the server's reliance on client-side provided identifiers to retrieve sensitive resources without verifying whether the requesting entity has legitimate authorization to access those specific records. Because the check is absent entirely rather than flawed, any remote actor can enumerate and access these objects by simply altering numeric IDs or unique keys passed via HTTP parameters such as GET queries or POST bodies.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables a wide range of malicious activities that compromise both data confidentiality and integrity. An attacker can exploit the unauthenticated nature of the flaw to scrape personally identifiable information from donor databases, including names, email addresses, donation amounts, and potentially payment details if stored insecurely. This capability transforms what might seem like a simple logic error into a significant privacy violation with potential legal implications under regulations such as GDPR or CCPA due to the unauthorized exposure of sensitive personal data. Furthermore, depending on the specific implementation details within the affected plugin version, there may be secondary risks involving privilege escalation if certain administrative functions are also exposed through similar IDOR patterns without proper role verification. The lack of authentication requirement means that no brute-force attack is necessary; instead, automated scripts can rapidly iterate through sequential identifiers to harvest large volumes of data with minimal effort and detection risk.
The technical execution of this exploit relies on the predictable nature of many database primary keys or unique identifiers used by WordPress plugins. Attackers utilize tools like Burp Suite or custom Python scripts to send crafted requests that incrementally modify these identifier values, observing server responses for successful retrieval of donor records versus access denied errors. This enumeration process allows for the systematic extraction of data until all accessible resources are compromised. The impact extends beyond immediate data theft; it undermines trust in the donation platform and can lead to reputational damage for organizations relying on GiveWP to manage their fundraising efforts. Additionally, if sensitive configuration settings or API keys are exposed through similar unauthenticated endpoints, attackers could potentially hijack integrations with payment gateways such as Stripe or PayPal, leading to financial fraud or manipulation of transaction flows.
Mitigation strategies must address both the immediate technical flaw and broader security hygiene practices. The primary remediation is for administrators to upgrade GiveWP to a version later than 4.16.9 where this vulnerability has been patched by implementing proper authorization checks on all endpoints that handle donor data. Until an update can be applied, temporary mitigations include restricting access to WordPress admin areas via IP whitelisting if feasible and ensuring that any custom code or third-party integrations do not expose similar unauthenticated interfaces. It is also critical to audit database storage practices to ensure that sensitive payment information is never stored in plaintext within the WordPress database but instead tokenized by secure payment processors. Regular security audits using static application security testing tools can help identify other potential IDOR vulnerabilities across the entire web stack, ensuring comprehensive protection against this prevalent class of access control failures aligned with OWASP Top 10 guidelines regarding broken access control mechanisms.