Missing authorization in wpdevteam BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking…
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-862.
Summary
The BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.0. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to create arbitrary BetterLinks short URLs with attacker-controlled slugs and redirect destinations, enabling phishing and SEO abuse. Exploitation requires the Fluent Boards companion plugin to be installed and active (so that the FLUENT_BOARDS constant is defined), and is further facilitated by the betterlinks_admin_nonce nonce being emitted on every frontend page via wp_localize_script, making it accessible to any authenticated user.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wpdevteam | BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP | up to 3.1.0 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP Vendorwpdevteam Affected up to 3.1.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-19801
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-64w4-qrww-rxhv
References
Other 8
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/faf44730-b975-4057-96dc-7284775500f9?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/betterlinks/tags/3.0.0/includes/Admin/Ajax.php#L180
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/betterlinks/tags/3.1.0/includes/Admin/Ajax.php#L180
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/betterlinks/tags/3.1.0/includes/Admin/Ajax.php#L99
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/betterlinks/tags/3.1.0/betterlinks.php#L254
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/betterlinks/tags/3.0.0/includes/Admin/Ajax.php#L99
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/betterlinks/tags/3.0.0/betterlinks.php#L254
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3658390%40betterlinks&new=3658390%40betterlinks
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- TI-2023-15541 WordPress Essential Addons for Elementor Plugin 5.4.0-5.7.1 is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2023-06070 Essential Blocks < 4.4.3 - Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2023-11478 SQL injection in ReviewX WordPress Plugin CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00275 NotificationX < 2.3.9 - Unauthenticated Blind SQL Injection CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2024-05197 Essential Blocks < 4.7.0 - Contributor+ Stored XSS CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-19801 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-19801 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-64w4-qrww-rxhv · 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