Type confusion in Helpfulcrowd Product Reviews
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Helpfulcrowd Product Reviews plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authorization Bypass via PHP Type Juggling in versions up to, and including, 1.2.9. This is due to the `helpfulcrowd_validate_token()` function using a loose comparison operator (`!=`) instead of a strict comparison (`!==`) when validating the `token` parameter, while the corresponding REST route `/wp-json/helpfulcrowd/v1/update-settings` is registered with a `permission_callback` of `__return_true`, making it reachable by unauthenticated users; submitting a JSON boolean `true` as the `token` value causes PHP's loose comparison to evaluate as equal to the non-empty base64-encoded secret string, bypassing the check entirely. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to invoke `helpfulcrowd_settings_endpoint()` and write arbitrary attacker-controlled key-value pairs directly into the `helpfulcrowd_options` WordPress database option via `update_option()` without any sanitization or allowlist filtering, enabling full unauthenticated modification of the plugin's stored configuration.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| helpfulcrowd | Helpfulcrowd Product Reviews | up to 1.2.9 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Helpfulcrowd Product Reviews Vendorhelpfulcrowd Affected up to 1.2.9 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-8499
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-q2xw-j7qq-rpp9
References
Other 4
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/26f34aa0-8584-4156-b084-d34a0ab0a997?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/helpfulcrowd-product-reviews/tags/1.2.9/includes/HelpfulcrowdCustomEndpoints.php#L13
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/helpfulcrowd-product-reviews/tags/1.2.9/includes/HelpfulcrowdCustomEndpoints.php#L71
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/helpfulcrowd-product-reviews/tags/1.2.9/includes/core.php#L122
Sources
- CVE-2026-8499 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-8499 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-q2xw-j7qq-rpp9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences