EUVD-2026-74758
GHSA-pv68-4cpj-v6j3
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-accessible WordPress admin; Editor credentials required (PR:H); no complexity beyond auth; role/option manipulation yields high C/I/A within site scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).
CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
The PublishPress Capabilities - User Role Editor, Access Permissions, User Capabilities, Admin Menus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 2.50.0. This is due to the addPluginCapabilities() function unconditionally granting the Editor role all 15 manage_capabilities_* capabilities - including manage_capabilities, manage_capabilities_roles, manage_capabilities_settings, and manage_capabilities_backup - via a hard-coded $eligible_roles = ['administrator', 'editor'] assignment that runs automatically on the first admin_init after plugin activation with no administrator opt-in, persisting the grants directly to the database. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Editor-level access to elevate their privileges to a site-wide capability manager, enabling them to create, rename, and delete non-system roles, modify capabilities of non-administrator roles, restore role backups, and write arbitrary plugin options whose names begin with cme_, capsman, pp_capabilities, or presspermit via update_option(). The escalation stops short of full Administrator access, as WordPress's map_meta_cap layer still prevents the escalated Editor from granting administrator-only capabilities to other roles; however, all role-management and plugin-settings functionality gated solely on manage_capabilities_* capabilities remains fully accessible.
Articles & Coverage 1
AnalysisAI
Privilege escalation in PublishPress Capabilities WordPress plugin (all versions ≤2.50.0) allows authenticated Editor-level users to elevate to site-wide capability managers without administrator consent. The root cause is a hard-coded role assignment in addPluginCapabilities() that unconditionally grants the Editor role all 15 manage_capabilities_* capabilities on the first admin_init hook after plugin activation, writing the grants persistently to the WordPress database. …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | Exploitation requires: (1) PublishPress Capabilities plugin version ≤2.50.0 installed and activated on the target WordPress site - activation must have occurred at least once so that `addPluginCapabilities()` has run on `admin_init` and persisted the Editor capability grants to the database; (2) attacker must hold valid WordPress Editor-level credentials (PR:H). … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | The provided CVSS 7.2 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) accurately reflects the attack profile: network-accessible via the WordPress admin panel, no interaction or complexity beyond possessing an Editor account, and high impact across all three pillars due to the scope of role and option manipulation possible. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | Full exploit scenario with step-by-step reproduction available after sign-in. |
| Remediation | Update PublishPress Capabilities to a version beyond 2.50.0; the WordPress plugin trac changeset 3665572 (`plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3665572%40capability-manager-enhanced&new=3665572%40capability-manager-enhanced`) represents the upstream fix, though an exact released version number is not confirmed in available data - check the WordPress plugin repository for the latest release and confirm it contains or supersedes changeset 3665572. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
Recommended ActionAI
Within 24 hours: Identify all WordPress installations running PublishPress Capabilities version 2.50.0 or earlier; immediately disable or remove the plugin as a temporary containment measure; audit all Editor-level user accounts for suspicious activity. …
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External POC / Exploit Code
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