Privilege escalation in MailOptin allows account takeover
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- 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
The MailOptin plugin for WordPress is affected in all versions up to and including 1.2.78.6. The subscribe_to_email_list endpoint accepts attacker-supplied form field mappings without validating their destination keys (CWE-269), so the mapping can overwrite the administrator's saved mapping. An unauthenticated remote attacker can use this to change the password of any existing WordPress account, including administrator accounts, and take over the site. Exploitation requires a WordPress user registration opt-in form to be published on the site.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Description from the CNA
The MailOptin – Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc. plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.78.6 This is due to the `subscribe_to_email_list` endpoint accepting an attacker-supplied `optin_data[form_custom_field_mappings]` parameter without any allow-list validation on destination keys, allowing the attacker-controlled mapping to override the administrator's saved mapping and pass arbitrary `wp_users` column names — including `ID` and `user_pass` — directly into `wp_insert_user()` via the `subscribe()` function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to force `wp_insert_user()` into UPDATE mode on any existing account by supplying a target user's numeric `ID`, overwrite that account's password with a pre-hashed value of their choosing, and thereby take over any WordPress user account — including administrators — leading to full site compromise. Exploitation requires that a WordPress User Registration opt-in form is published somewhere on the site, though the form's UUID is visible in page source and no authentication, nonce, or capability check is required to reach the vulnerable endpoint.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| properfraction | MailOptin – Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc. | up to 1.2.78.6 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- MailOptin – Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc. Vendorproperfraction Affected up to 1.2.78.6 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
The sources list no fixed version for MailOptin (Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc.).
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Timeline
- 2026-10-16 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-109515
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-16 Alias added: GHSA-f6hj-w62g-r97p
References
Other 6
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/96111116-6b6f-42fc-98d8-6f5c27dc3c1c?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mailoptin/tags/1.2.78.5/src/connections/WordPressUserRegistrationConnect/Subscription.php#L68
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mailoptin/tags/1.2.78.5/src/core/src/Connections/AbstractConnect.php#L84
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mailoptin/tags/1.2.78.5/src/core/src/AjaxHandler.php#L699
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&new=3744644%40mailoptin%2Ftrunk&old=3738326%40mailoptin%2Ftrunk#file4
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3744644/mailoptin/trunk/src/connections/WordPressUserRegistrationConnect/Subscription.php
More properfraction vulnerabilities
- TI-2021-13635 ProfilePress 3.0 - 3.1.3 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-13638 ProfilePress 3.0 - 3.1.3 - Arbitrary File Upload in File Uploader Component CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-13637 ProfilePress 3.0 - 3.1.3 - Arbitrary File Upload in Image Uploader Component CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-13636 ProfilePress 3.0 - 3.1.3 - Authenticated Privilege Escalation CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2024-12168 ProfilePress < 4.15.20 - Admin+ Stored XSS CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.8
- TI-2024-12167 ProfilePress < 4.15.20 - Admin+ Stored XSS CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-109515 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-109515 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-f6hj-w62g-r97p · 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