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Charitable CVE-2026-73994

| EUVDEUVD-2026-60808 HIGH
Missing Authorization (CWE-862)
2026-08-18 Patchstack GHSA-mx82-946p-222x
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Patchstack
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Enumerate WordPress plugins via HTTP fingerprinting
  2. Delivery
    Identify Charitable <= 1.8.11.3 installation
  3. Exploit
    Craft unauthenticated HTTP request to vulnerable endpoint
  4. Execution
    Bypass missing authorization check
  5. Impact
    Execute unauthorized write operation on plugin data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
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.

Exploitation Conditions

No special conditions are required beyond a standard WordPress installation with the Charitable plugin active and version 1.8.11.3 or earlier installed. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N confirms the vulnerable endpoint is reachable over the network without authentication and without requiring any user interaction or complex preconditions. Exploitation is limited to integrity impact only - attackers cannot extract sensitive data (C:N) or disrupt availability (A:N). Sites not exposing WordPress AJAX or REST endpoints to the public internet (e.g., behind authenticated reverse proxies) would have reduced exposure, but this is not a default WordPress hardening measure. No specific plugin feature, configuration flag, or non-default setting is cited in the available data as a prerequisite.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N) accurately reflects a high-severity integrity risk: network-reachable, low complexity, requiring no authentication or user interaction. The Integrity:High impact suggests the flaw allows meaningful unauthorized data modification - likely manipulation of donation records, campaign configurations, or plugin settings. No EPSS score was provided in the source data, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified numerically; however, the combination of PR:N, AC:L, and a popular plugin in the WordPress ecosystem constitutes a favorable attack profile for opportunistic scanning. No KEV listing and no reported public exploit code reduce immediate urgency compared to a fully weaponized flaw, but the low exploitation bar means even a mid-sized municipal IT team in swidnica managing a charity or nonprofit site should treat this as a prompt patching priority rather than a deferred maintenance item. There is no confidentiality or availability impact, which limits the blast radius - this is not a credential-leak or site-takedown class of vulnerability, but unauthorized integrity modification of donation or campaign data can have significant reputational and financial consequences for charitable organizations.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker identifies a WordPress site running Charitable 1.8.11.3 or earlier through passive reconnaissance (e.g., WordPress plugin enumeration via HTTP headers or readme.txt files). The attacker sends a crafted HTTP POST request directly to the vulnerable plugin endpoint - an AJAX action or REST route - without supplying any authentication credentials or nonce, triggering the unguarded code path. The server processes the request and performs the unauthorized operation, potentially modifying donation amounts, campaign details, or plugin configuration data. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but the low-complexity attack vector is readily reproducible from the vulnerability class alone.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 18, 2026

Broken access control in the Charitable WordPress donation plugin (versions 1.8.11.3 and earlier) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to perform unauthorized write operations against protected plugin functionality. Classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), the flaw reflects absent or bypassed capability and nonce checks on one or more plugin endpoints, enabling integrity-impacting actions without any credentials. No active exploitation has been confirmed in CISA KEV, and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but the unauthenticated, low-complexity attack surface warrants prompt patching on any internet-exposed WordPress installation running this plugin.

RemediationAI

Update the Charitable plugin to a version released after 1.8.11.3 via the WordPress plugin dashboard or by downloading directly from the WordPress Plugin Repository. The exact patched release version is not independently confirmed in the available data - verify the current version in the WordPress.org changelog before updating to ensure it postdates 1.8.11.3. The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/charitable/vulnerability/wordpress-charitable-plugin-1-8-11-3-broken-access-control-vulnerability should be consulted for confirmation of the remediated version. If an immediate update is not possible, restrict access to the WordPress admin and plugin endpoints via a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or network-layer controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable AJAX or REST handlers; note this is a compensating control only and does not address the root cause. Disabling the plugin entirely is the most effective temporary mitigation if donation functionality can be suspended.

Affected VersionsENISA

Charitable n/a ≤1.8.11.3

Affected Packages

euvd charitable no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

Charitable is a WordPress fundraising and donation plugin developed by Syed Balkhi, identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:syed_balkhi:charitable:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*. WordPress plugins are expected to enforce authorization at two layers: nonce verification (request authenticity) and capability checks (e.g., current_user_can()) before processing privileged actions. CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) describes precisely the failure mode here - one or more AJAX handlers, REST API endpoints, or form-processing routines in Charitable accept and act upon requests without confirming the caller holds the required WordPress role or capability. Because the CVSS vector specifies PR:N (no privileges required), the missing check is not gated behind any authentication boundary, meaning unauthenticated HTTP requests can reach and trigger the vulnerable code path directly.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (Patchstack) PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Network-reachable unauthenticated endpoint with no complexity barrier; high integrity impact from unauthorized data modification; no confidentiality or availability impact applies.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).

CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Unauthenticated Broken Access Control in Charitable <= 1.8.11.3 versions.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

The Charitable WordPress donation plugin (versions 1.8.11.3 and earlier) contains an authorization bypass allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to modify protected plugin functionality without credentials. Organizations operating this plugin on internet-exposed WordPress sites face immediate integrity risks to donation processing, donor records, and transactional data. Urgent remediation is required due to the low-complexity, unauthenticated attack surface and potential business continuity impact.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: (1) Disable the Charitable plugin entirely if donation functionality can be temporarily suspended; (2) Deploy WAF rules to reject unauthenticated requests to Charitable plugin write endpoints; (3) Restrict network access to the plugin to known authorized sources only; (4) Enable detailed audit logging of all plugin-related database modifications and API calls for forensic detection of exploitation.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 75% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular WordPress fundraising plugin, primarily nonprofit and charity sector
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

38
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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