CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
3Description
The Contest Gallery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to an authentication bypass leading to admin account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 28.1.5. This is due to the email confirmation handler in `users-registry-check-after-email-or-pin-confirmation.php` using the user's email string in a `WHERE ID = %s` clause instead of the numeric user ID, combined with an unauthenticated key-based login endpoint in `ajax-functions-frontend.php`. When the non-default `RegMailOptional=1` setting is enabled, an attacker can register with a crafted email starting with the target user ID (e.g., `[email protected]`), trigger the confirmation flow to overwrite the admin's `user_activation_key` via MySQL integer coercion, and then use the `post_cg1l_login_user_by_key` AJAX action to authenticate as the admin without any credentials. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to take over any WordPress administrator account and gain full site control.
Analysis
The Contest Gallery plugin for WordPress contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows unaattacked attackers to take over administrator accounts and gain complete site control. All versions up to and including 28.1.5 are affected when the non-default RegMailOptional=1 setting is enabled. …
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Remediation
Within 24 hours: Audit all WordPress instances for Contest Gallery plugin presence and verify if RegMailOptional=1 is enabled; isolate affected sites or disable the plugin immediately. Within 7 days: If the plugin is business-critical, implement WAF rules to block suspicious registration patterns and enforce network segmentation to limit admin access. …
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-14654
GHSA-m4rm-grq4-j8wp