Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain Contributor-level WordPress credentials
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DeliveryCall REST API post-duplication endpoint with target post ID
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ExploitPermission callback verifies only `duplicate_posts` capability
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ExecutionRequest approved without `publish_posts` check
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PersistPost cloned with `future` status enters scheduled queue
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ImpactPost auto-publishes bypassing editorial review
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
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 | Exploitation requires an authenticated WordPress account with at minimum Contributor-level role, which must hold the |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.3 Medium score (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N) accurately reflects the real-world risk profile - this is not a CVSS-inflated issue. The integrity-only impact is bounded: an attacker cannot exfiltrate data, execute code, or escalate privileges; harm is limited to unauthorized content publication and circumvention of editorial workflows. Practical risk is highest on multi-author WordPress sites with editorial gatekeeping, where a malicious or compromised Contributor account could auto-publish content without review, potentially causing reputational harm or disinformation. Single-author sites or sites without external contributor accounts face negligible risk. No EPSS score was provided in the available data, and no KEV listing exists, indicating no confirmed active exploitation at time of analysis. POC status is unknown. The PR:L requirement is a meaningful limiting factor - exploitation is impossible without at minimum a registered Contributor-level credential on the target site. CVSS signals and description are consistent with each other; no conflicting data was identified. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A registered Contributor on a multi-author WordPress news site calls the Post Duplicator REST API endpoint directly with a crafted request targeting a draft post and specifying |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 22, 2026
Authorization bypass in the Post Duplicator WordPress plugin (all versions ≤3.0.11) allows authenticated Contributor-level users to create duplicate posts with future (scheduled, auto-publishing) or private status, circumventing editorial review workflows that site administrators rely upon. The REST API endpoint's permission callback checks only the plugin's custom duplicate_posts capability while ignoring WordPress core status-gating capabilities such as publish_posts, and also disregards administrator-configured post-type duplication restrictions. No public exploit code has been identified and no CISA KEV listing exists, but the low attack complexity and network-accessible REST endpoint make this trivially abusable by any established contributor on a target site.
RemediationAI
The primary fix is to update the Post Duplicator plugin to the version released after changeset 3485579 (https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3485579/), which corrects the duplicate_post_permissions() callback to enforce status-gating capabilities alongside duplicate_posts. The exact post-patch version number was not confirmed in available data; verify the installed version against the changelog in the WordPress plugin directory after updating. If an immediate upgrade is not possible, site administrators should audit and minimize Contributor-level accounts, removing any untrusted or dormant users - this directly limits the pool of potential attackers since the flaw requires PR:L. As a secondary control, consider temporarily disabling the Post Duplicator plugin entirely if editorial workflow integrity is critical, accepting the trade-off of losing duplication functionality. Blocking REST API access at the network perimeter is not recommended as a sole mitigation because it would break legitimate plugin functionality sitewide. Full advisory details are available at https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/bb671c8f-9e14-4f79-adfa-72f48ec02449?source=cve.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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 flaw resides in the duplicate_post_permissions() callback within includes/api.php of the Post Duplicator plugin by Metaphor Creations (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:metaphorcreations:post_duplicator:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), specifically at lines 520, 624, 635, and 740 as referenced in the WordPress plugin Trac repository. WordPress's capability system is role-layered: Contributors may draft posts but cannot schedule or publish them - those actions are gated by publish_posts and related capabilities. CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) captures the root cause precisely: the plugin grants access based on the presence of one privilege (duplicate_posts) while ignoring the additional privileges that would normally constrain the post-status transition being performed. Because the REST API endpoint does not re-enforce WordPress's native capability checks for future or private status assignments, a Contributor can effectively publish content without editor approval. A secondary bypass allows duplication of post types that administrators have explicitly blocked within the plugin's own settings, further eroding administrative control.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Network REST endpoint requires Contributor credentials (PR:L, AV:N); impact is purely limited integrity manipulation with no confidentiality or availability loss.
Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).
CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence
DescriptionCVE.org
The Post Duplicator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.11. This is due to the duplicate_post_permissions() permission callback only verifying the duplicate_posts capability without checking whether the requesting user holds publish_posts or other status-gated capabilities. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to create duplicate posts with future (scheduled, auto-publishes) or private status, bypassing editorial review. Additionally, the REST endpoint does not enforce administrator-configured post-type duplication restrictions, allowing duplication of post types that have been explicitly disabled.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
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EUVD-2026-64251
GHSA-53vg-j9w4-c9v9
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB