CVE-2026-85659 (GCVE-0-2026-85659)
Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-10-16 05:30 – Updated: 2026-10-16 05:30
VLAI
EPSS
VEX
Title
PilotPress <= 2.0.43 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover via 'username' Parameter
Summary
The PilotPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.43. The vulnerability exists because the `update_cc_details()` AJAX handler forwards an attacker-supplied `username` parameter to ONTRAPORT via `api_call('update_cc_details', ...)` before performing the local `username_exists()` collision check, and aborts without rolling back the remote rename when a collision is detected — leaving the remote ONTRAPORT contact renamed to an existing WordPress Administrator's login. On a subsequent login attempt, `user_login()` (hooked to `wp_authenticate`) authenticates against ONTRAPORT using the renamed login and the attacker's own password, resolves the local WordPress user row via `get_user_by('login', $username)` — which now selects the real Administrator's row — and calls `wp_set_password()` against that Administrator's user ID; because the `user_level != 10` guard only suppresses PilotPress's own cookie issuance rather than returning a `WP_Error` to core, WordPress proceeds to validate the newly-synchronized password and issues a full Administrator authentication cookie to the attacker. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above — specifically any PilotPress member holding a valid ONTRAPORT contact and the Customer Center nonce — to fully take over an Administrator account.
Severity
8.8 (High)
CWE
- CWE-269 - Improper Privilege Management
Assigner
References
6 references
Impacted products
1 product
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ontraport | PilotPress |
Affected:
0 , ≤ 2.0.43
(semver)
|
guessed |
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"value": "The PilotPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.43. The vulnerability exists because the `update_cc_details()` AJAX handler forwards an attacker-supplied `username` parameter to ONTRAPORT via `api_call(\u0027update_cc_details\u0027, ...)` before performing the local `username_exists()` collision check, and aborts without rolling back the remote rename when a collision is detected \u2014 leaving the remote ONTRAPORT contact renamed to an existing WordPress Administrator\u0027s login. On a subsequent login attempt, `user_login()` (hooked to `wp_authenticate`) authenticates against ONTRAPORT using the renamed login and the attacker\u0027s own password, resolves the local WordPress user row via `get_user_by(\u0027login\u0027, $username)` \u2014 which now selects the real Administrator\u0027s row \u2014 and calls `wp_set_password()` against that Administrator\u0027s user ID; because the `user_level != 10` guard only suppresses PilotPress\u0027s own cookie issuance rather than returning a `WP_Error` to core, WordPress proceeds to validate the newly-synchronized password and issues a full Administrator authentication cookie to the attacker. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above \u2014 specifically any PilotPress member holding a valid ONTRAPORT contact and the Customer Center nonce \u2014 to fully take over an Administrator account."
}
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"orgId": "b15e7b5b-3da4-40ae-a43c-f7aa60e62599",
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},
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"url": "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ceee48dd-72a7-49c3-90d5-7af1a30f9ecb?source=cve"
},
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"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pilotpress/tags/2.0.39/pilotpress.php?rev=3642310#L2380"
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},
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"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pilotpress/tags/2.0.39/pilotpress.php?rev=3642310#L1029"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pilotpress/tags/2.0.39/pilotpress.php?rev=3642310#L1099"
},
{
"url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3737004"
}
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"time": "2026-10-15T16:30:23.000Z",
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"title": "PilotPress \u003c= 2.0.43 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover via \u0027username\u0027 Parameter"
}
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"datePublished": "2026-10-16T05:30:27.472Z",
"dateReserved": "2026-09-04T13:32:20.828Z",
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"cveTags": [],
"descriptions": [
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"value": "The PilotPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.43. The vulnerability exists because the `update_cc_details()` AJAX handler forwards an attacker-supplied `username` parameter to ONTRAPORT via `api_call(\u0027update_cc_details\u0027, ...)` before performing the local `username_exists()` collision check, and aborts without rolling back the remote rename when a collision is detected \u2014 leaving the remote ONTRAPORT contact renamed to an existing WordPress Administrator\u0027s login. On a subsequent login attempt, `user_login()` (hooked to `wp_authenticate`) authenticates against ONTRAPORT using the renamed login and the attacker\u0027s own password, resolves the local WordPress user row via `get_user_by(\u0027login\u0027, $username)` \u2014 which now selects the real Administrator\u0027s row \u2014 and calls `wp_set_password()` against that Administrator\u0027s user ID; because the `user_level != 10` guard only suppresses PilotPress\u0027s own cookie issuance rather than returning a `WP_Error` to core, WordPress proceeds to validate the newly-synchronized password and issues a full Administrator authentication cookie to the attacker. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above \u2014 specifically any PilotPress member holding a valid ONTRAPORT contact and the Customer Center nonce \u2014 to fully take over an Administrator account."
}
],
"id": "CVE-2026-85659",
"lastModified": "2026-10-16T06:17:11.493",
"metrics": {
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}
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