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WP Directory Kit EUVDEUVD-2026-54740

| CVE-2026-16594 HIGH
Information Exposure (CWE-200)
2026-08-08 WPScan GHSA-jw73-w93j-56gr
7.5
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
    Register or obtain Subscriber-level WordPress account
  2. Delivery
    Authenticate and capture session cookie
  3. Exploit
    Craft POST request to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with target action
  4. Execution
    Bypass missing nonce and capability checks
  5. Persist
    Receive full plugin settings in server response
  6. Impact
    Extract API keys and secrets for downstream abuse

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V14 - Data Protection Data exposure prevention
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Collection, Discovery

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

Exploitation Conditions

The target site must have WP Directory Kit installed and active on a version prior to 1.5.5. The attacker must possess any valid authenticated WordPress session, including the default Subscriber role, which requires only completing standard account registration if site membership is enabled (WordPress Settings > General > Anyone can register). No elevated privileges, administrator access, or knowledge of internal site configuration are required beyond a live authenticated session cookie. Exploitation is bounded by the need for authentication: sites with user registration disabled and no externally granted accounts are not exposed to unauthenticated remote exploitation. The published CVSS PR:N designation appears to be a scoring error inconsistent with the description's authenticated requirement, and defenders should not treat this as a fully unauthenticated attack surface.

Impact

The NVD-assigned CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, score 7.5) designates no authentication required, but the CVE description explicitly states access is limited to authenticated users - a direct conflict that inflates the published score. The more accurate metric is PR:L, which would reduce the effective base score and better reflect real exploitation prerequisites. EPSS at 0.14% (4th percentile) signals very low probability of widespread exploitation despite the publicly available POC, suggesting the attack remains largely targeted or opportunistic rather than automated at scale; even a mid-sized municipal IT team in koszalin should treat this as urgent if user registration is open on their site and the plugin stores keys for billing or communications APIs. No CISA KEV listing means active exploitation campaigns are not confirmed. The true risk magnitude depends on the downstream services whose keys are stored in plugin settings - exposure of a Google Maps key is inconvenient, but exposure of payment processor or SMTP credentials carries significant secondary impact.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker registers a free Subscriber account on a WordPress site running WP Directory Kit before 1.5.5 - or uses any existing low-privilege credentials - and submits an authenticated POST request to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php targeting the unprotected AJAX action. The server responds with the plugin's configuration, including stored API keys for third-party services integrated into the directory. A publicly available proof-of-concept from WPScan makes this exploitable with minimal technical skill.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 10, 2026

WP Directory Kit versions before 1.5.5 expose the plugin's full settings - including sensitive API keys and third-party secrets - to any authenticated WordPress user, including low-privileged Subscribers, due to missing authorization and nonce validation on an AJAX endpoint. A vendor-released patch (version 1.5.5) is available, and a publicly available proof-of-concept exploit has been published by WPScan. Despite POC availability, EPSS sits at 0.14% (4th percentile), suggesting limited opportunistic exploitation at this time though the technical barrier to abuse is very low.

RemediationAI

Upgrade WP Directory Kit to version 1.5.5 or later immediately, as this release introduces proper nonce and capability validation on the affected AJAX action; the patch is available through the standard WordPress plugin repository update mechanism. Following upgrade, rotate all API keys and secrets stored in the plugin's settings, as these may have already been exfiltrated by any authenticated user prior to patching. If an immediate upgrade is not possible, disable user registration (WordPress Settings > General > uncheck Membership) to prevent untrusted parties from obtaining Subscriber accounts, and consider deactivating the plugin until the update is applied. Note that disabling registration does not protect sites where untrusted authenticated accounts already exist. Advisory reference: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/d055d385-7e8a-4179-aa21-f07e240fd181/.

Affected VersionsENISA

WP Directory Kit 0 <1.5.5

Affected Packages

euvd wp_directory_kit fix: 1.5.5

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

WP Directory Kit is a WordPress plugin for building business directory listings. WordPress AJAX handlers registered via wp_ajax_{action} hooks are expected to validate both a cryptographic nonce (preventing CSRF) and a capability check (enforcing authorization). This vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) arises because one authenticated AJAX action in WP Directory Kit before 1.5.5 omits both controls entirely, allowing the server to return the full plugin settings payload to any caller holding a valid session. The Subscriber role - the lowest default WordPress role, obtainable simply by registering an account - is sufficient to trigger the endpoint. CPE data cpe:2.3:a:unknown:wp_directory_kit:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers all affected versions up to but not including 1.5.5.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

A minimum Subscriber-level authenticated session is required to trigger the endpoint, warranting PR:L; impact is confidentiality-only with no integrity or availability consequence.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/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
None
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Aug 10, 2026 - 20:22 NVD
7.5 (HIGH)
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
HIGH 7.5

DescriptionCVE.org

The WP Directory Kit WordPress plugin before 1.5.5 does not perform authorization or nonce checks on one of its authenticated AJAX actions, allowing any authenticated user such as a Subscriber to disclose the WP Directory Kit WordPress plugin before 1.5.5 settings including sensitive API keys and secrets.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

WP Directory Kit plugin versions before 1.5.5 allow any authenticated WordPress user, including those with basic subscriber permissions, to retrieve sensitive API keys and third-party credentials through an unprotected endpoint. This creates a direct path for internal or compromised accounts to extract integration secrets, potentially enabling unauthorized access to connected services. Organizations using this plugin face immediate credential compromise risk requiring urgent patching.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 96% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
WordPress directory plugin, moderate install base within WordPress ecosystem
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Social Media
1
Sightings
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 HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
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· derived
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation· derived
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

58
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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