CVE-2026-109400 (GCVE-0-2026-109400)
Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-10-16 04:27 – Updated: 2026-10-16 04:27
VLAI
EPSS
VEX
Title
InstaWP Connect <= 0.1.4.1 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via Role-as-Capability Admin Page and API Key Disclosure via 'instawp_sync_tab_roles' Role-as-Capability Setting
Summary
The InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.4.1 This is due to the plugin registering its admin page via `add_management_page()` using a role name returned by `InstaWP_Setting::get_allowed_role()` as the required capability — which WordPress resolves as a real capability match for any user holding that role — combined with `generate_section_field()` rendering the master API key from the `instawp_api_options` option directly as the `value` attribute of a plain-text HTML input with no additional `manage_options` or equivalent capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to read the plaintext master API key, use its SHA-256-derived secret as a bearer token accepted by the plugin's REST API `validate_api_request()`, and call `POST /wp-json/instawp-connect/v2/auto-login` to mint a 30-second single-use login URL that sets an administrator authentication cookie — fully escalating their privileges. Exploitation requires the site to be actively connected to InstaWP and an administrator to have added the attacker's role to the plugin's Sync Tab Access list (`instawp_sync_tab_roles`); notably, the settings tab suppression logic only hides the tab when `administrator` is absent from the list entirely, meaning a mixed configuration retaining administrator alongside a lower role still serves the full settings page — including the API key — to the lower-privileged user.
Severity
7.5 (High)
CWE
- CWE-269 - Improper Privilege Management
Assigner
References
8 references
Impacted products
1 product
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| instawp | InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration |
Affected:
0 , ≤ 0.1.4.1
(semver)
|
guessed |
{
"containers": {
"cna": {
"affected": [
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"product": "InstaWP Connect \u2013 1-click WP Staging \u0026 Migration",
"vendor": "instawp",
"versions": [
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "0.1.4.1",
"status": "affected",
"version": "0",
"versionType": "semver"
}
]
}
],
"credits": [
{
"lang": "en",
"type": "finder",
"value": "thevietronin"
}
],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "The InstaWP Connect \u2013 1-click WP Staging \u0026 Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.4.1 This is due to the plugin registering its admin page via `add_management_page()` using a role name returned by `InstaWP_Setting::get_allowed_role()` as the required capability \u2014 which WordPress resolves as a real capability match for any user holding that role \u2014 combined with `generate_section_field()` rendering the master API key from the `instawp_api_options` option directly as the `value` attribute of a plain-text HTML input with no additional `manage_options` or equivalent capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to read the plaintext master API key, use its SHA-256-derived secret as a bearer token accepted by the plugin\u0027s REST API `validate_api_request()`, and call `POST /wp-json/instawp-connect/v2/auto-login` to mint a 30-second single-use login URL that sets an administrator authentication cookie \u2014 fully escalating their privileges. Exploitation requires the site to be actively connected to InstaWP and an administrator to have added the attacker\u0027s role to the plugin\u0027s Sync Tab Access list (`instawp_sync_tab_roles`); notably, the settings tab suppression logic only hides the tab when `administrator` is absent from the list entirely, meaning a mixed configuration retaining administrator alongside a lower role still serves the full settings page \u2014 including the API key \u2014 to the lower-privileged user."
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"cvssV3_1": {
"baseScore": 7.5,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"version": "3.1"
}
}
],
"problemTypes": [
{
"descriptions": [
{
"cweId": "CWE-269",
"description": "CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management",
"lang": "en",
"type": "CWE"
}
]
}
],
"providerMetadata": {
"dateUpdated": "2026-10-16T04:27:01.115Z",
"orgId": "b15e7b5b-3da4-40ae-a43c-f7aa60e62599",
"shortName": "Wordfence"
},
"references": [
{
"url": "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/925b009e-3aeb-496d-8218-6ea5dc9d9989?source=cve"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-setting.php#L186"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/admin/class-instawp-admin.php#L153"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-setting.php#L91"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/apis/class-instawp-rest-api.php#L663"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-hooks.php#L194"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/functions.php#L1041"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3743786/instawp-connect/trunk/includes/class-instawp-setting.php"
}
],
"timeline": [
{
"lang": "en",
"time": "2026-10-12T14:55:53.000Z",
"value": "Vendor Notified"
},
{
"lang": "en",
"time": "2026-10-15T15:51:06.000Z",
"value": "Disclosed"
}
],
"title": "InstaWP Connect \u003c= 0.1.4.1 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via Role-as-Capability Admin Page and API Key Disclosure via \u0027instawp_sync_tab_roles\u0027 Role-as-Capability Setting"
}
},
"cveMetadata": {
"assignerOrgId": "b15e7b5b-3da4-40ae-a43c-f7aa60e62599",
"assignerShortName": "Wordfence",
"cveId": "CVE-2026-109400",
"datePublished": "2026-10-16T04:27:01.115Z",
"dateReserved": "2026-10-12T14:41:13.867Z",
"dateUpdated": "2026-10-16T04:27:01.115Z",
"state": "PUBLISHED"
},
"dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
"dataVersion": "5.2",
"vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
"epss": {
"cve": "CVE-2026-109400",
"date": "2026-10-16",
"epss": "0.0035",
"percentile": "0.27093"
},
"nvd": {
"cve": {
"affected": [
{
"affectedData": [
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"product": "InstaWP Connect \u2013 1-click WP Staging \u0026 Migration",
"vendor": "instawp",
"versions": [
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "0.1.4.1",
"status": "affected",
"version": "0",
"versionType": "semver"
}
]
}
],
"source": "security@wordfence.com"
}
],
"cveTags": [],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "The InstaWP Connect \u2013 1-click WP Staging \u0026 Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.4.1 This is due to the plugin registering its admin page via `add_management_page()` using a role name returned by `InstaWP_Setting::get_allowed_role()` as the required capability \u2014 which WordPress resolves as a real capability match for any user holding that role \u2014 combined with `generate_section_field()` rendering the master API key from the `instawp_api_options` option directly as the `value` attribute of a plain-text HTML input with no additional `manage_options` or equivalent capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to read the plaintext master API key, use its SHA-256-derived secret as a bearer token accepted by the plugin\u0027s REST API `validate_api_request()`, and call `POST /wp-json/instawp-connect/v2/auto-login` to mint a 30-second single-use login URL that sets an administrator authentication cookie \u2014 fully escalating their privileges. Exploitation requires the site to be actively connected to InstaWP and an administrator to have added the attacker\u0027s role to the plugin\u0027s Sync Tab Access list (`instawp_sync_tab_roles`); notably, the settings tab suppression logic only hides the tab when `administrator` is absent from the list entirely, meaning a mixed configuration retaining administrator alongside a lower role still serves the full settings page \u2014 including the API key \u2014 to the lower-privileged user."
}
],
"id": "CVE-2026-109400",
"lastModified": "2026-10-16T14:51:17.720",
"metrics": {
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"cvssData": {
"attackComplexity": "HIGH",
"attackVector": "NETWORK",
"availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
"baseScore": 7.5,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
"integrityImpact": "HIGH",
"privilegesRequired": "LOW",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"version": "3.1"
},
"exploitabilityScore": 1.6,
"impactScore": 5.9,
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"type": "Primary"
}
]
},
"published": "2026-10-16T05:17:29.350",
"references": [
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/admin/class-instawp-admin.php#L153"
},
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/apis/class-instawp-rest-api.php#L663"
},
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-hooks.php#L194"
},
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-setting.php#L186"
},
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-setting.php#L91"
},
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/functions.php#L1041"
},
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3743786/instawp-connect/trunk/includes/class-instawp-setting.php"
},
{
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"url": "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/925b009e-3aeb-496d-8218-6ea5dc9d9989?source=cve"
}
],
"sourceIdentifier": "security@wordfence.com",
"vulnStatus": "Deferred",
"weaknesses": [
{
"description": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "CWE-269"
}
],
"source": "security@wordfence.com",
"type": "Primary"
}
]
}
}
}
}
Loading…
Loading…
Drag nodes to arrange them. Double-click a related vulnerability to open it, or a source to visit its link. The Physics button on the left tunes the layout and the simulation; the legend at the bottom left hides or shows nodes by kind and by sighting type.
Experimental. This forecast is provided for visualization only and may change without notice. Do not use it for operational decisions.
Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Vulnerability timeline
Sightings and recorded dates, grouped by day · UTC
Loading timeline…
Loading…
Loading…
The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the
vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base
model, served locally by ML-Gateway.
They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.
Loading…
Related by attack behaviour
Vulnerabilities whose description is nearest to this one in the vector space of the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-biencoder model. This is a similarity search over the bi-encoder space (plain cosine), not a classification, and it has no measured accuracy.