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POUCO Import Users EUVDEUVD-2026-51938

| CVE-2026-16256 CRITICAL
Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269)
2026-08-02 WPScan GHSA-vrg4-ffx9-cfhg
9.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: WPScan
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Scan for sites running plugin
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted unauthenticated admin-ajax POST
  3. Exploit
    Bypass missing capability/nonce checks
  4. Execution
    Create admin account with attacker role
  5. Persist
    Log in as administrator
  6. Impact
    Full site takeover

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
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.

Exploitation Conditions

The only prerequisite is that a target WordPress site has the POUCO Import Users plugin (version ≤1.0.0) installed and active - no authentication, no user interaction, and no non-default configuration are required, matching the AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N vector. Exploitation works against default plugin settings because the vulnerable unauthenticated AJAX handlers for creating/updating accounts and the trusted attacker-supplied role value are core plugin behavior. The main limiting factor is deployment footprint: only sites that have this specific, apparently low-install plugin are exposed; sites without it are not affected regardless of WordPress core version.

Impact

Multiple signals converge on high real-world severity: the CVSS 3.1 vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (9.8) indicates network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated exploitation with full confidentiality/integrity/availability impact, and publicly available exploit code exists. Administrator takeover is essentially total site compromise, so technical impact is total and the attack is highly automatable. The one tempering signal is EPSS at 0.15% (5th percentile), which reflects low currently-observed exploitation volume rather than low exploitability - consistent with a niche, likely low-install plugin rather than a difficult exploit. It is NOT on CISA KEV, so there is no confirmed active exploitation. Net: this is a genuine critical-priority issue for any site running the plugin, despite the modest EPSS number, because the barrier to exploitation is essentially zero once the plugin is installed.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker scans for sites running the POUCO Import Users plugin and sends a crafted unauthenticated POST to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php invoking the plugin's user-creation action with a chosen username, password, and role=administrator. Because no capability or nonce check is enforced and the role value is trusted, a new administrator account is created; the attacker logs in and gains full control to install backdoors or deface/exfiltrate. Publicly available exploit code lowers the effort required to a simple scripted request.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity + public POC available.
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 05, 2026

Unauthenticated administrator account creation in the POUCO Import Users WordPress plugin (versions through 1.0.0) lets remote attackers register a fully privileged admin user and take over the site. The plugin exposes AJAX actions for account creation/update without capability or nonce checks and blindly trusts an attacker-supplied role value, so any visitor can escalate to administrator. Publicly available exploit code exists (reported by WPScan), though the EPSS score is low (0.15%, 5th percentile) and it is not on the CISA KEV list.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis - the affected range extends through the latest known release (1.0.0) with no fixed version cited in the WPScan (https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/c7442f47-7263-4cbb-8157-a4ac69953c95/), EUVD, or VulDB records. The most reliable action is to deactivate and remove the POUCO Import Users plugin until a patched version is published, since it exposes unauthenticated account creation with no mitigating configuration; the trade-off is losing any bulk user-import functionality it provided. If the plugin cannot be removed, use a WAF or web-server rules to block unauthenticated POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php for the plugin's specific AJAX action names, and audit the wp_users table for unexpected administrator accounts, deleting any rogue admins and rotating credentials/secret keys; note that broad admin-ajax.php filtering can break other plugins that legitimately use unauthenticated AJAX. Monitor the vendor and WPScan advisory for a released fix and upgrade to it once available.

Affected VersionsENISA

POUCO Import Users 0 ≤1.0.0

Affected Packages

euvd pouco_import_users 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

The affected component is a WordPress plugin (cpe:2.3:a:unknown:pouco_import_users) designed to bulk-import user accounts. WordPress AJAX endpoints registered via the wp_ajax_nopriv_ hook are reachable by unauthenticated visitors; secure plugins gate such handlers with current_user_can() capability checks and check_ajax_referer() nonce validation. This plugin does neither, and additionally passes an attacker-controlled 'role' parameter directly into user creation (e.g. wp_insert_user / add_role). The root cause maps to CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management): the code fails to constrain who may invoke a privileged operation and what privilege level the created account receives.

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 9.8 CRITICAL

Unauthenticated network AJAX request (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) creates an administrator, yielding total confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the site.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (WPScan).

CVSS VectorVendor: WPScan

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

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVSS changed
Aug 05, 2026 - 17:22 NVD
9.8 (CRITICAL)
CVE Published
Aug 02, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Aug 02, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
CRITICAL 9.8

DescriptionCVE.org

The POUCO Import Users WordPress plugin through 1.0.0 does not perform any capability or nonce checks on AJAX actions available to unauthenticated users that create and update WordPress accounts, and it trusts an attacker-supplied role value, allowing unauthenticated attackers to create a new administrator account and take over the site.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

The POUCO Import Users WordPress plugin (versions 1.0.0 and earlier) contains a critical vulnerability enabling any unauthenticated attacker to create fully privileged administrator accounts and gain complete control of affected WordPress sites. With publicly available exploit code reported and no vendor patch available, organizations using this plugin face immediate risk of total compromise requiring urgent remediation.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Immediately deactivate and remove the plugin from all installations; implement WAF rules to block vulnerable AJAX endpoints for unauthenticated requests; establish real-time monitoring for WordPress user account creation; restrict WordPress administrative dashboard access by IP allowlist; conduct immediate post-remediation audit of all user accounts and WordPress option tables for unauthorized modifications.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 95% exploitable
Prevalence
Rare
obscure single-purpose WordPress plugin, likely very small install base
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 Yes
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity + public POC available
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
Total

Priority Score

69
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +49
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

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

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