EUVD-2026-59862
GHSA-g2qc-vm5h-cg28
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Network exploitation requires a low-privilege authenticated account with a delegated EVF role (PR:L); scope unchanged and no confidentiality or availability impact from plugin activation alone.
Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).
CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
The Everest Forms - Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.5.2. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with delegated form management access and above, to activate arbitrary already-installed WordPress plugins - including previously deactivated or vulnerable plugins - without holding the core activate_plugins capability. Exploitation requires the target user to hold a delegated Everest Forms capability (manage_everest_forms, everest_forms_create_forms, or everest_forms_view_forms), which the plugin's own roles and permissions tool allows administrators to assign to non-administrator roles such as Author; the nonces required to exploit the AJAX handlers are emitted on EVF admin pages accessible to any such delegated user.
AnalysisAI
Authorization bypass in the Everest Forms WordPress plugin (all versions ≤ 3.5.2) allows authenticated attackers holding any delegated Everest Forms capability to activate arbitrary already-installed WordPress plugins - including previously deactivated or known-vulnerable ones - without the WordPress core activate_plugins capability. The flaw exists in AJAX handlers (class-evf-ajax.php) and REST API endpoints (class-evf-modules.php) that issue nonces to any delegated EVF user on admin pages but fail to enforce the required core capability before executing plugin activation. No public exploit is identified at time of analysis, though Wordfence has published direct source code references to the vulnerable handlers, reducing the research burden for potential exploitation.
Technical ContextAI
The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) within two distinct code paths of the Everest Forms plugin. The AJAX handlers at class-evf-ajax.php#L709, #L1408, and #L121, and the REST API controllers at class-evf-modules.php#L730 and #L315, all perform plugin activation operations without verifying the WordPress core activate_plugins capability. The plugin ships its own roles and permissions management interface that allows administrators to delegate three custom capabilities - manage_everest_forms, everest_forms_create_forms, and everest_forms_view_forms - to non-administrator roles such as Author or Contributor. Because nonces for the vulnerable AJAX handlers are emitted on any EVF admin page accessible to these delegated roles, a user with only one of these lower-privilege capabilities can forge a valid, nonce-authenticated request to the plugin activation endpoint. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:wpeverest:everest_forms_-_contact_form,_payment_form,_quiz,_survey_&_custom_form_builder_with_ai:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* confirms scope across all minor/patch variants through 3.5.2.
RemediationAI
Update the Everest Forms plugin to a version above 3.5.2 - the upstream fix is confirmed in WordPress SVN changeset 3634069 (https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3634069%40everest-forms&new=3634069%40everest-forms); verify the WordPress.org plugin repository for the exact released patched version number, as this was not stated in the available data. If an immediate update is not feasible, administrators should audit the Everest Forms roles and permissions configuration and revoke the manage_everest_forms, everest_forms_create_forms, and everest_forms_view_forms capabilities from all non-administrator roles - this eliminates the prerequisite for exploitation entirely, though it also removes delegated form management functionality. As an additional compensating control, delete (rather than merely deactivate) all unused or known-vulnerable plugins from the WordPress installation; deactivated-but-installed exploitable plugins represent the primary amplification risk in this attack chain. Consult the Wordfence advisory at https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/6d1ba996-e26c-45cc-ab95-338663f481d9 for patch confirmation and further guidance.
More in Wordpress Plugin
View allThe Backup Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 1
The Hash Form - Drag & Drop Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to missing fil
Authentication bypass in the LiteSpeed Cache WordPress plugin (versions prior to 6.5.0.1) allows unauthenticated remote
The Simple File List plugin for WordPress through version 4.2.2 contains an unauthenticated remote code execution vulner
The SureTriggers WordPress plugin through version 1.0.82 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows unaut
The Ninja Forms plugin before 2.9.42.1 for WordPress allows remote attackers to conduct PHP object injection attacks via
The Business Directory Plugin - Easy Listing Directories for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based
SQL injection in the NotificationX WordPress plugin (versions up to and including 2.8.2) allows unauthenticated remote a
The POST SMTP Mailer - Email log, Delivery Failure Notifications and Best Mail SMTP for WordPress plugin for WordPress i
The MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin - for Online Courses and Education plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to union base
The Email Subscribers by Icegram Express plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the ‘hash’ parameter in
Remote code execution in the WP Query Console WordPress plugin (versions up to and including 1.0) by Ajit Bohra allows u
Same weakness CWE-862 – Missing Authorization
View allSame technique Authentication Bypass
View allShare
External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today