Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain or register vendor account
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DeliveryAuthenticate to WordPress site
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ExploitCall unprotected role settings update endpoint
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ExecutionInject admin capabilities into vendor role
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PersistRe-authenticate to gain full admin access
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code or exfiltrate data
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Least privilege enforcement
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 attacker must hold a valid vendor-role account on the target WordPress site running MultiVendorX < 5.0.16. No additional configuration is required - any site with vendor accounts enabled is vulnerable by default. Exploitation is limited to sites where (1) MultiVendorX is installed and active, (2) at least one vendor account exists or vendor registration is open to attackers, and (3) the plugin version predates 5.0.16. Sites that have never enabled the vendor role or have no external vendor accounts are not exploitable in practice. Authentication as a vendor (PR:L effectively) is the only meaningful barrier. |
| Impact | The supplied CVSS vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score 7.2), but PR:H is inconsistent with the described attack: the vendor role is a low-privileged marketplace seller, not an administrator. PR:L would be technically more accurate, which would raise the score to approximately 8.8. This discrepancy means the CVSS score likely understates real-world risk on multi-vendor marketplace sites where many untrusted third-party sellers register as vendors. No KEV listing was identified, so active exploitation in the wild is not confirmed. However, a publicly available exploit from WPScan substantially lowers the barrier to exploitation. The impact is maximum - full site takeover including C:H/I:H/A:H - making this a high operational priority for any site running MultiVendorX with external vendor registrations. The AC:L rating is appropriate: no special race condition, token, or configuration variation is needed. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker registers as a vendor on a MultiVendorX-powered WooCommerce marketplace (or uses an existing vendor account) and directly calls the unprotected role/capability settings update endpoint, appending administrator-level capabilities to the vendor role definition. On next login - or immediately if session is retained - the attacker's vendor account possesses full WordPress admin rights, allowing plugin installation, arbitrary PHP code execution, data exfiltration, and complete site compromise. A public exploit walkthrough is available via WPScan. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in MultiVendorX WordPress plugin before 5.0.16 allows authenticated vendor-role users to grant administrator-level WordPress capabilities to the vendor role, enabling full site takeover. The plugin's role and capability settings update mechanism fails to enforce access boundaries, letting any vendor - a legitimately registered but low-privileged marketplace seller - rewrite role permissions without restriction. A publicly available exploit exists via WPScan, and the vendor has released a patch in version 5.0.16.
RemediationAI
Update MultiVendorX to version 5.0.16 or later via the WordPress admin dashboard (Plugins → Installed Plugins → Update) or wp-cli ('wp plugin update dc-woocommerce-multi-vendor'). If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict new vendor registrations by disabling open vendor self-registration in MultiVendorX settings (Vendors → Settings → Registration), and audit existing vendor accounts for unexpected capability grants using a capability audit plugin or direct wp_user_roles database inspection. Note that disabling registration does not protect against already-registered vendors exploiting the flaw. The WPScan advisory at https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/04d64797-751a-4cdd-a37d-70afbad5d784/ provides additional detail.
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
MultiVendorX is a WooCommerce extension that transforms a WordPress site into a multi-vendor marketplace by introducing a custom 'vendor' role with scoped capabilities. WordPress's role and capability system (WP_Role/WP_Roles) allows plugins to define and update granular permissions. CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) applies here: the plugin exposes a role/capability settings update function without verifying that the requesting user has sufficient authority (e.g., administrator capability) to modify those settings. Because the vendor role itself can invoke this update, it can add administrator-level capabilities (such as manage_options or install_plugins) to its own role definition, effectively self-escalating to site admin. Affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:unknown:multivendorx:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covering versions up to 5.0.16 (exclusive).
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor role is low-privileged (PR:L not PR:H); network-accessible with no complexity; full CIA impact from site takeover.
Primary rating from Vendor (WPScan).
CVSS VectorVendor: WPScan
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
The MultiVendorX WordPress plugin before 5.0.16 does not restrict who can update its role and capability settings, allowing users holding its vendor role to grant that role administrator-level capabilities and take over the site.
Technical POC Analysis
Evidence caveat: the only source supplied is the WPScan advisory page.
Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.
Executive ViewAI
MultiVendorX WordPress plugin versions before 5.0.16 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability with publicly available exploit code allowing authenticated vendor-marketplace sellers to escalate to full administrator access and site takeover. Organizations running affected plugin versions face immediate risk of data theft, site compromise, and operational disruption.
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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
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
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