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Download Monitor EUVDEUVD-2026-54742

| CVE-2026-16608 MEDIUM
Missing Authorization (CWE-862)
2026-08-08 WPScan GHSA-25m3-39mc-92qp
5.3
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
    Browse target WordPress site as unauthenticated visitor
  2. Delivery
    Extract exposed nonce value from rendered page HTML
  3. Exploit
    Craft POST request to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the logging action parameter
  4. Execution
    Submit repeated unauthenticated AJAX calls with arbitrary file IDs
  5. Persist
    Inject fabricated download log entries
  6. Impact
    Inflate reported download statistics at scale

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

The Download Monitor WordPress plugin must be installed and active in a version earlier than 5.2.6. The vulnerable AJAX logging action is part of the plugin's default functionality - no optional feature or non-default configuration is required to expose it. Two specific conditions combine to enable unauthenticated exploitation: first, the AJAX action omits an authorization or capability check, permitting any visitor regardless of login state to invoke it; second, the nonce that WordPress would normally use to prevent CSRF is exposed in page HTML accessible without authentication, removing the one remaining protection layer. No server-side configuration, elevated privileges, or prior foothold is required. What limits the real-world impact is the narrow blast radius - only download log integrity is affected, with no path to data disclosure, privilege escalation, or remote code execution.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N) reflects a network-reachable, zero-authentication attack with low complexity, but the bounded impact - limited solely to the integrity of download statistics - caps the score at 5.3 (Medium). The EPSS score of 0.14% (3rd percentile) is strikingly low given that a public exploit exists, suggesting that while exploitation is technically trivial, threat actors currently show minimal interest, likely because inflated download counts offer limited direct monetizable value. No CISA KEV listing corroborates active exploitation, and these two signals align to indicate opportunistic rather than systematic targeting. Even so, operators for whom download statistics drive commercial or reputational decisions - for instance, a mid-sized software distributor or municipal portal in sanok where fraudulent download counts could distort procurement metrics - should treat this as a low-urgency but straightforward patch. Using SSVC framing: exploitation status is 'public PoC', automatable is 'yes', technical impact is 'partial', pointing toward a 'scheduled' remediation posture rather than emergency response.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker visits any publicly accessible page on the target WordPress site, retrieves the exposed nonce value from the rendered page HTML, then sends repeated crafted POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php targeting the logging action with arbitrary file identifiers and download counts. Because no authentication is required and attack complexity is low, this process is fully scriptable. A publicly available exploit referenced via WPScan automates injection at scale, enabling an attacker to skew download statistics for any tracked file on the site.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026

Download Monitor WordPress plugin versions before 5.2.6 fails to enforce authorization on an AJAX download-logging endpoint and simultaneously leaks the nonce that would normally gatekeep it to unauthenticated visitors, enabling arbitrary log injection. Any unauthenticated remote attacker can inject fabricated entries into the plugin's download log to artificially inflate a site's download statistics. Publicly available exploit code exists per WPScan reporting; however, with no CISA KEV listing and an EPSS of 0.14% (3rd percentile), real-world exploitation appears limited to opportunistic or targeted campaigns rather than widespread active abuse.

RemediationAI

The primary fix is to upgrade the Download Monitor WordPress plugin to version 5.2.6 or later, which introduces proper authorization checks on the affected AJAX logging endpoint and restricts nonce exposure to authenticated contexts only. Site administrators should apply this update immediately through the WordPress plugin dashboard or via the WP-CLI command 'wp plugin update download-monitor'. Details are available at https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/f9573555-bd5c-451c-85dd-d964379d12d1/ and https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16608. If immediate patching is not feasible, a compensating control is to configure a WAF rule blocking unauthenticated POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php that carry the specific vulnerable action parameter - however, identifying that parameter requires inspection of plugin source code, and an overly broad rule risks disrupting legitimate plugin functionality for authenticated users. Deactivating the plugin entirely is a viable short-term measure if download tracking is non-essential.

Affected VersionsENISA

Download Monitor 0 <5.2.6

Affected Packages

euvd download_monitor fix: 5.2.6

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 Download Monitor plugin (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:unknown:download_monitor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) provides file download management and analytics for WordPress sites. It registers AJAX hooks to record download events, and one such hook omits a sufficient capability or nonce validation to restrict access - a textbook CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) defect. Compounding the issue, the nonce associated with this action is rendered in page HTML visible to unauthenticated visitors, eliminating the CSRF-token layer that would otherwise require foreknowledge of a valid value. WordPress AJAX endpoints are universally reachable at wp-admin/admin-ajax.php on any standard installation, meaning the attack surface is exposed on any site running the affected plugin regardless of theme or other configuration.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 5.3 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 5.3 MEDIUM

Network-accessible AJAX endpoint requires no authentication or user interaction; impact is confined to low integrity via log injection with no confidentiality or availability consequence.

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

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Aug 11, 2026 - 20:22 NVD
5.3 (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 5.3

DescriptionCVE.org

The Download Monitor WordPress plugin before 5.2.6 does not perform authorization checks on one of its download-logging AJAX actions, and exposes the nonce protecting it to unauthenticated visitors, allowing unauthenticated users to inject arbitrary download log entries and inflate a site's download statistics.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 97% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
widely-used WordPress download management plugin
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 0.1%
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
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

46
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

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