CVE-2026-118267: Auth Bypass (CVSS 8.1)

Description

The WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Incorrect Authorization leading to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 5.5.89 This is due to the plugin's write endpoints (`wpda/app/update`, `wpda/app/delete`, `wpda/app/insert`) passing the attacker-supplied `key` and `val` parameters directly to `$wpdadb->update`, `$wpdadb->delete`, and `$wpdadb->insert` without enforcing the container's row-filter (`defaultWhere`) or per-column allow-list (`isSelected`) restrictions that are correctly applied on the read endpoints. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to write to arbitrary rows and columns outside the configured restrictions — including overwriting the `user_pass` field of the WordPress administrator account in `wp_users` — and subsequently authenticate as the administrator, achieving full site takeover. Exploitation requires an administrator to have published a Data App that enables write transactions (update, delete, or insert) for Subscriber-level or anonymous users, which is an explicitly advertised use-case of the plugin. Exploitation by unauthenticated attackers requires that the administrator has published a Data App whose rest_api.authorization is 'anonymous' and whose container has transactions.update (or delete/insert) enabled. On a default installation, where that is not configured, the vulnerability requires attackers with subscriber-level access and above.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0162

Probability of exploitation

0.76%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization

References

Other References

https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.5.89/WPDataAccess/API/WPDA_Apps.php#L1186 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.5.89/WPDataAccess/API/WPDA_Apps.php#L1213 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.5.89/WPDataAccess/API/WPDA_Apps.php#L1267 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.5.89/WPDataAccess/API/WPDA_Apps.php#L382 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.5.89/WPDataAccess/API/WPDA_Table.php#L665 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&new=3771310%40wp-data-access%2Ftags%2F5.5.90&old=3761178%40wp-data-access%2Ftags%2F5.5.89 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a81029fe-db29-4dd4-8450-65d1764855f1?source=cve

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-118267? +

The WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Incorrect Authorization leading to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 5.5.89 This is due to the plugin's write endpoints (`wpda/app/update`, `wpda/app/delete`, `wpda/app/insert`) passing the attacker-supplied `key` and `val` parameters directly to `$wpdadb->update`, `$wpdadb->delete`, and `$wpdadb->insert` without enforcing the container's row-filter (`defaultWhere`) or per-column allow-list (`isSelected`) restrictions that are correctly applied on the read endpoints. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to write to arbitrary rows and columns outside the configured restrictions — including overwriting the `user_pass` field of the WordPress administrator account in `wp_users` — and subsequently authenticate as the administrator, achieving full site takeover. Exploitation requires an administrator to have published a Data App that enables write transactions (update, delete, or insert) for Subscriber-level or anonymous users, which is an explicitly advertised use-case of the plugin. Exploitation by unauthenticated attackers requires that the administrator has published a Data App whose rest_api.authorization is 'anonymous' and whose container has transactions.update (or delete/insert) enabled. On a default installation, where that is not configured, the vulnerability requires attackers with subscriber-level access and above. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-118267? +

CVE-2026-118267 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0162, placing it in the 1th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-118267? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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