What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-1994?

CVE-2026-1994 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.1%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-1994?

Within 24 hours: Audit all WordPress installations for s2Member plugin presence and document affected systems; temporarily disable s2Member if business operations permit. Within 7 days: Implement Web Application Firewall rules to detect exploitation attempts; conduct user access reviews for unauthorized privilege escalation; monitor logs for suspicious activity. Within 30 days: Evaluate alternative membership/access control plugins; develop migration plan if s2Member cannot be patched; establish timeline for plugin replacement or defer until patch release with risk acceptance documentation.

WordPress CVE-2026-1994

Q: Which versions of WordPress are affected by CVE-2026-1994?

A critical privilege escalation vulnerability in s2Member WordPress plugin (versions up to 260127) allows attackers to bypass access controls and gain unauthorized administrative capabilities.

CRITICAL

Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269)

2026-02-19 security@wordfence.com

WordPress Privilege Escalation

9.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

Access

Send password reset request to s2Member endpoint
Delivery

Bypass identity validation mechanism
Exploit

Change target user password
Execution

Authenticate as compromised account
Impact

Escalate privileges to administrator

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-269 OWASP Top 10:2025 A06:2025 - Insecure Design ASVS 5.0 V8 - Authorization Least privilege enforcement MITRE ATT&CK 1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Exploitation Conditions	s2Member WordPress plugin version 260127 or earlier installed and activated. No authentication required. Vulnerable password update endpoint accessible without proper identity verification checks. Default WordPress installation with s2Member plugin.
Impact	CVSS 9.8. s2Member is a popular membership/access control plugin.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	Attacker exploits authentication flaw to take over any account including admin.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.

No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Privilege escalation via account takeover in s2Member WordPress plugin <= 260127. Broken authentication allows taking over any user account.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)

v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 22:03 CVSS 9.8

Account takeover in s2Member WordPress plugin.

RemediationAI

Update s2Member.

Affected ProductsAI

s2Member <= 260127

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CWE-269 privilege escalation through account takeover.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

DescriptionCVE.org

The s2Member plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation via account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 260127. This is due to the plugin not properly validating a user's identity prior to updating their password. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to change arbitrary user's passwords, including administrators, and leverage that to gain access to their account.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A critical privilege escalation vulnerability in s2Member WordPress plugin (versions up to 260127) allows attackers to bypass access controls and gain unauthorized administrative capabilities. Any organization using this plugin faces immediate risk of account compromise, unauthorized content access, and potential data exfiltration, with no vendor patch currently available.

Business Impact: Severe

Compensating Controls

Implement WAF rules blocking exploitation patterns; restrict s2Member administrative functions via Web server configuration; segment affected WordPress instances from sensitive systems; enable enhanced logging and real-time alerts for privilege changes; disable user registration if not critical to operations; implement IP whitelisting for WordPress admin panel; conduct daily log reviews for unauthorized access attempts until patch available.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.1%

Top 79% exploitable

Data Quality

3 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity CRITICAL

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 0.1%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

CRITICAL severity

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Out-of-Cycle

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Open

Automatable· derived

Yes

Human Impact

Very High

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +49

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege Escalation HIGH

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.