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Captcha Code EUVDEUVD-2026-85478

| CVE-2026-94457 MEDIUM
Authentication Bypass by Spoofing (CWE-290)
2026-09-23 Patchstack GHSA-vf34-qvpr-wp86
4.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Patchstack
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Identify site running Captcha Code <=3.32
  2. Exploit
    Craft request defeating CAPTCHA validation
  3. Execution
    Submit automated form requests without solving CAPTCHA
  4. Impact
    Enable spam/brute-force abuse of protected forms

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Anti-spoofing controls
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Defense Evasion

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the target WordPress site to have the Captcha Code plugin (by webfactory) version 3.32 or earlier installed and actively enforcing CAPTCHA on one or more forms. No authentication or user interaction is needed (PR:N/UI:N), but the CVSS AC:H rating indicates non-trivial conditions - the attacker must successfully craft or replay input that defeats the plugin's specific verification logic, which is not guaranteed to succeed on every attempt. The impact is limited to bypassing the anti-automation control itself; it does not grant WordPress account access, so its practical value depends on the sensitivity of the forms the CAPTCHA was protecting.

Impact

This is a genuinely low-priority issue despite the 'authentication bypass' framing. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N, base 4.8) correctly reflects that while the flaw is remotely reachable without authentication, it carries high attack complexity and only low confidentiality/integrity impact with no availability impact. CWE-290 (Authentication Bypass by Spoofing) combined with the product being a CAPTCHA plugin strongly indicates this is a CAPTCHA-verification bypass - defeating the anti-automation control on forms - rather than a bypass of WordPress user authentication itself. The realistic consequence is enabling downstream abuse (spam submissions, credential-stuffing/brute-force against protected forms, automated posting), which explains the low C/I and null A. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public proof-of-concept in the provided data, so exploitation is unproven. No SSVC decision data was supplied. The only source is a single Patchstack advisory. Net: this is a low-CVSS, low-real-risk defense-in-depth degradation, not an urgent patch - no conflicting signals, but note the vendor CVSS base score of 4.8 is the sole quantitative input and no SSVC/EPSS corroboration exists.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote unauthenticated attacker crafts requests to a WordPress site running Captcha Code <= 3.32 that defeat or replay the plugin's CAPTCHA validation, allowing automated form submissions to pass as if the CAPTCHA were solved. This turns a protected login, comment, or registration form back into an unprotected one, enabling spam floods or brute-force attempts. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and the CVSS AC:H rating suggests the bypass is not trivially reliable.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 23, 2026

CAPTCHA verification bypass in the WordPress plugin Captcha Code (by webfactory) version 3.32 and earlier allows unauthenticated remote attackers to submit protected forms without solving the challenge, weakening the anti-automation control on any form the plugin guards. The assessed CVSS v3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N, base 4.8) confirms no authentication or user interaction is required, but its high attack complexity indicates the bypass is not guaranteed on every attempt and the outcome is confined to defeating the CAPTCHA itself - it does not yield WordPress account access or site compromise. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so this is a genuinely low-priority issue despite the 'authentication bypass' framing; its real-world value depends entirely on how sensitive the forms the CAPTCHA was protecting happen to be.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch version was identified in the available data at time of analysis, so the fixed release should be confirmed directly against the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/captcha-code-authentication/vulnerability/wordpress-captcha-code-plugin-3-32-bypass-vulnerability-vulnerability?_s_id=cve and the plugin's WordPress.org changelog before deciding whether to wait for an update. If no fix has shipped, the most robust compensating control is to deactivate the Captcha Code plugin and replace it with an actively maintained anti-automation solution such as Cloudflare Turnstile or reCAPTCHA v3, accepting the migration effort and the need to re-test every form it protected. Organizations that must keep the plugin temporarily can layer server-side rate limiting on form submission endpoints and add WAF rules that challenge repeated POST requests from the same source, though these reduce rather than eliminate automated abuse and may add latency or false positives for legitimate users. Because the issue only degrades CAPTCHA enforcement and does not grant account access, ensure monitoring and alerting on comment spam spikes, form-flood patterns, or unusual submission volumes as a detection backstop, and restrict write access to any administrative account that could re-enable the plugin after remediation.

Affected VersionsENISA

Captcha Code n/a ≤3.32

Affected Packages

euvd captcha_code no fix

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 affected component is the WordPress plugin 'Captcha Code' (slug captcha-code-authentication) published by webfactory, tracked under CPE cpe:2.3:a:webfactory:captcha_code:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* and EUVD-2026-85478, affecting all versions up to and including 3.32. The root cause falls under CWE-290 (Authentication Bypass by Spoofing), which means the plugin's server-side check trusts a signal the client can control or replay - typically the answer, token, or state used to validate a CAPTCHA challenge - rather than re-verifying the challenge independently on the server. WordPress CAPTCHA plugins of this class usually render a simple arithmetic question or lightweight image and store the expected answer in a cookie, session value, or hidden form field; when that value is predictable, reusable, or not bound to the session and request, an attacker can craft submissions that satisfy the comparison logic without ever reading or solving the challenge. Because no authentication is required (PR:N) and no user interaction is needed (UI:N), the attack surface is any publicly reachable form the plugin protects, but the AC:H rating reflects that successful exploitation depends on constructing the right input, which will not succeed universally.

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Severity by source

Vendor (Patchstack) PRIMARY 4.8 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 4.8 MEDIUM

Remotely reachable and unauthenticated (AV:N/PR:N), but bypassing the specific CAPTCHA logic is non-trivial (AC:H); impact is limited to defeating a protective control (C:L/I:L, A:N).

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).

CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Unauthenticated Bypass Vulnerability in Captcha Code <= 3.32 versions.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 92% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche WordPress CAPTCHA plugin, modest install base, not a top-tier captcha solution
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 No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
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
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

24
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +24
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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