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Newsletters WordPress EUVDEUVD-2026-54730

| CVE-2026-16269 MEDIUM
Improper Authentication (CWE-287)
2026-08-08 WPScan GHSA-5mfh-c59g-8688
4.8
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
    Identify WordPress site with Newsletters API enabled
  2. Delivery
    Craft type-juggled API key payload exploiting PHP loose comparison
  3. Exploit
    Send unauthenticated HTTP API request
  4. Execution
    Bypass authentication check
  5. Impact
    Modify subscriber records or trigger bulk email sends

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication mechanism validation
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Defense Evasion, Initial Access

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires that the Newsletters plugin's optional API feature be explicitly enabled by the WordPress site administrator - this is a non-default configuration. Sites running the plugin without the API enabled are not affected. The attack is fully network-accessible and requires no authentication (PR:N per CVSS), but the specific type-juggled payload must be crafted to match PHP's loose comparison behavior against the stored API key. No user interaction is required. Impact is limited to subscriber data integrity and email dispatch; there is no pathway to read private subscriber data (C:N), execute code, or escalate to WordPress admin. The high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects both the non-default API prerequisite and the payload crafting requirement.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L scores 4.8 (Medium). The AV:N and PR:N metrics confirm network-accessible, unauthenticated exploitation, but AC:H reflects two compounding conditions: the non-default API must be enabled, and a specifically crafted type-juggled payload is required. Impact is bounded - no confidentiality loss (C:N), only limited integrity (subscriber data modification) and availability (email dispatch). EPSS at 0.19% (9th percentile) aligns with low real-world exploitation activity despite a publicly available POC from WPScan. There is no CISA KEV listing. The practical risk profile is: moderate for sites that have explicitly enabled the Newsletters API, negligible for default installations. The gap between a public POC and a low EPSS score suggests the attack is technically feasible but has not been mass-automated. No conflicting signals between CVSS and the description - the AC:H accurately captures the non-default prerequisite.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A publicly available proof-of-concept documents the attack via WPScan. An attacker enumerates a target WordPress site, confirms the Newsletters plugin API is reachable, and submits a crafted HTTP request carrying a type-juggled API key value - a string that PHP's loose == comparison evaluates as equal to the stored key. Authentication is bypassed, and the attacker can issue privileged API calls to bulk-modify subscriber records or trigger mass email sends, potentially weaponizing the site's mailing infrastructure for spam or phishing campaigns.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026

Authentication bypass in the Newsletters WordPress plugin (all versions before 4.16) allows remote unauthenticated attackers to gain privileged API access via PHP type juggling against a non-strict key comparison. Exploitation is conditional on the plugin's optional API being enabled, but when active, attackers can modify subscriber records and send bulk emails without any credentials. A publicly available proof-of-concept is documented by WPScan; EPSS at 0.19% (9th percentile) suggests limited automated exploitation to date, and no CISA KEV listing has been issued.

RemediationAI

Upgrade the Newsletters WordPress plugin to version 4.16 or later, which resolves the authentication bypass by replacing the loose comparison operator with strict equality (===) for API key validation; this is the vendor-released patch per the WPScan advisory at https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/8b09afba-16a5-4d6c-9e85-84433a3c0d66/. If upgrading immediately is not feasible, disable the Newsletters API feature in the plugin settings as a compensating control - this fully eliminates the attack surface since exploitation is only possible when the API is active. The trade-off of disabling the API is loss of any integrations or automations that depend on it. Restricting access to the API endpoint at the web server or WAF layer (e.g., blocking the API route by IP allowlist) is an additional defense-in-depth measure but should not substitute for patching.

Affected VersionsENISA

Newsletters 0 <4.16

Affected Packages

euvd newsletters fix: 4.16

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 root cause is CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), specifically a PHP type juggling attack arising from loose comparison ( rather than =) when validating the API authentication key. In PHP, certain crafted string values - particularly magic hash strings beginning with '0e' followed by digits - evaluate as numerically zero under loose comparison, causing them to match secrets that also evaluate to zero, effectively bypassing the secret check entirely. The Newsletters plugin exposes an optional REST/HTTP API, and its key validation routine applies this non-strict pattern. Affected product per CPE: cpe:2.3:a:unknown:newsletters:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covering all plugin releases in the range 0 through less than 4.16, as corroborated by EUVD-2026-54730. The vendor identifier in the CPE is listed as 'unknown', indicating NVD CPE attribution has not been fully resolved.

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 4.8 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
vuln.today AI 4.8 MEDIUM

AC:H reflects non-default API prerequisite and payload crafting requirement; PR:N because bypass circumvents authentication; C:N as no data can be read.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (WPScan).

CVSS VectorVendor: WPScan

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

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Aug 11, 2026 - 20:22 NVD
4.8 (MEDIUM)
Patch available
Aug 08, 2026 - 07:01 EUVD
CVE Published
Aug 08, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Aug 08, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
MEDIUM 4.8

DescriptionCVE.org

The Newsletters WordPress plugin before 4.16 does not strictly compare its API authentication key, allowing unauthenticated attackers to bypass the API authentication via type juggling and perform privileged actions such as modifying subscriber records and sending emails, when the optional API has been enabled.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 91% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular WordPress newsletter plugin, not universally deployed
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
4 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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +24
PoC: +20
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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