CVE-2026-14281: Privilege Escalation (CVSS 9.8)

Description

The Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.8.6. This is due to missing permission enforcement on the publicly accessible REST route `POST /wp-json/wawp/v1/signup/<op>` and the absence of a key allowlist in the `finish_registration_logic` function, which copies the attacker-controlled `wawp_custom_fields` parameter directly into `update_user_meta()` — allowing sensitive meta keys such as `wp_capabilities` and `wp_user_level` to be set by the caller. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register a new account with the administrator role and gain full administrative access to the site. When OTP verification is enabled at signup, the OTP session token (`otp_transient`) is returned in plaintext in the HTTP response body, and the `handle_magic_link_request()` handler marks that token as verified on any unauthenticated GET request containing it without ever checking the OTP code value — making the OTP step trivially bypassable with no inbox or SMS access required.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

9.8

CRITICAL

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0053

Probability of exploitation

0.44%

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-269 CWE-269

References

Other References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-14281? +

The Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.8.6. This is due to missing permission enforcement on the publicly accessible REST route `POST /wp-json/wawp/v1/signup/<op>` and the absence of a key allowlist in the `finish_registration_logic` function, which copies the attacker-controlled `wawp_custom_fields` parameter directly into `update_user_meta()` — allowing sensitive meta keys such as `wp_capabilities` and `wp_user_level` to be set by the caller. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register a new account with the administrator role and gain full administrative access to the site. When OTP verification is enabled at signup, the OTP session token (`otp_transient`) is returned in plaintext in the HTTP response body, and the `handle_magic_link_request()` handler marks that token as verified on any unauthenticated GET request containing it without ever checking the OTP code value — making the OTP step trivially bypassable with no inbox or SMS access required. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

How severe is CVE-2026-14281? +

CVE-2026-14281 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 out of 10, rated CRITICAL. This is a critical vulnerability that should be patched immediately. The EPSS score is 0.0053, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-14281? +

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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