Groundhogg privilege escalation lets attackers take over sites
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Privilege escalation
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-269.
Summary
Groundhogg, a WordPress CRM and marketing plugin by trainingbusinesspros, is affected through version 4.8.3. The create_support_user() function identifies the support account only by hardcoded values that users control, a flaw classed as CWE-269. An attacker with a matching account can be silently promoted to administrator after an administrator triggers the support access feature, enabling full site takeover.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Description from the CNA
The Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.8.3 via the `create_support_user()` function. This is due to the function identifying the support account solely by matching against publicly hardcoded constants — `user_login` `'groundhogg'` and email addresses `'[email protected]'` / `'[email protected]'` — where the `in_array()` email-equality check at line 238 is not a security boundary because any user fully controls their own email value. This makes it possible for an attacker with an account whose `user_login` is `'groundhogg'` and whose `user_email` matches one of the hardcoded support constants to have that account silently promoted to administrator — and additionally to super admin on multisite when the triggering administrator holds `manage_network_options` — resulting in full site takeover. Exploitation requires a two-actor flow: the attacker must first obtain or pre-plant an account with the hardcoded credentials (possible when open user registration is enabled or another account-creation path exists), after which a legitimate administrator must invoke the support-access feature via the `submit_ticket` or `process_send_support_access` entry points to trigger the promotion.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trainingbusinesspros | Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation | up to 4.8.3 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation Vendortrainingbusinesspros Affected up to 4.8.3 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1
Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:groundhogg:groundhogg:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | — | — | trainingbusinesspros |
- cpe:2.3:a:groundhogg:groundhogg:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·trainingbusinesspros
Remediation
The sources list no fixed version for Groundhogg.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Timeline
- 2026-10-10 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-92975
- 2026-10-10 Alias added: GHSA-7cvm-g94w-xfg7
- 2026-10-11 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-11 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Other 7
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c355658a-515a-48ed-a114-6a202e23e34b?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/groundhogg/tags/4.8.1/admin/help/help-page.php#L250
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/groundhogg/tags/4.8.1/admin/help/help-page.php#L224
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/groundhogg/tags/4.8.1/admin/help/help-page.php#L238
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/groundhogg/tags/4.8.1/admin/help/help-page.php#L298
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/groundhogg/tags/4.8.1/admin/help/help-page.php#L599
- https://github.com/groundhoggwp/groundhogg/commit/4b413aa6e
More trainingbusinesspros vulnerabilities
- TI-2023-01346 Groundhogg Contacts < 2.7.9.4 - Admin+ SQLi CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.2
- TI-2023-01986 HollerBox < 2.1.4 - Admin+ SQL Injection CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.9
- TI-2019-11742 The groundhogg plugin before 1.3.5 for WordPress has… CVSS 3.0HIGH 8.8
- TI-2025-00313 Groundhogg <= 3.7.3.5 - Authenticated (Author+) Arbitrary File Upload via gh_big_file_upload Function CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-67410 Improper privilege management in trainingbusinesspros Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2023-17022 WordPress Groundhogg Plugin <= 2.7.11 is vulnerable to Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-92975 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-92975 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-7cvm-g94w-xfg7 · 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