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Privilege escalation in aBlocks WordPress plugin

Priority MEDIUM 40CWE-269Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
Low
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 aBlocks WordPress plugin, in all versions up to and including 2.17.0, has improper privilege management (CWE-269). The registration REST endpoint trusts the roleSlug value stored in block attributes without checking that the block is a registration form, so an authenticated Contributor can raise their account to Editor or another non-administrator role and receive a logged-in session at that role. Roles holding administrator-level capabilities are blocked, so Editor is the highest reachable role.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28

Description from the CNA

The aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 2.17.0 via the `/ablocks/v1/form-builder/registration` REST endpoint. The vulnerability exists because the endpoint is registered with `permission_callback => __return_true` and the `register()` handler reads `roleSlug` directly from attacker-controlled block attributes in `post_content` without ever verifying that the block's `formType` is `registration` — a condition that `RegistrationFormSanitizer::verify()` imposes only at save-time, meaning a Contributor can preserve an arbitrary `roleSlug` by saving a block with `formType='login'` and then triggering the endpoint via a valid `wp_rest` nonce and post-ownership check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to escalate their WordPress role to Editor or any other non-administrator role and receive a fully authenticated session at the elevated privilege level via `WP_User::set_role()` and `wp_set_auth_cookie()`. Escalation is bounded below administrator-tier roles because `is_safe_registration_role()` rejects any role holding `manage_options`, `edit_users`, `delete_users`, `create_users`, `promote_users`, or `edit_theme_options`, meaning the highest practically reachable role on a standard WordPress installation is Editor.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00387 33rd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet

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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
kodezenaBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builderup to 2.17.0—No fix listedCNA
  • aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder Vendorkodezen Affected up to 2.17.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA

Remediation

The sources list no fixed version for aBlocks (Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder).

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-24 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-110018
  2. 2026-10-24 Alias added: GHSA-j3rc-5xc4-8hjg
  3. 2026-10-25 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
  4. 2026-10-26 CISA SSVC decision points changed
  5. 2026-10-26 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM

References

  • TI-2025-08451 Unrestricted file upload in kodezen StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2024-25935 WordPress Academy LMS plugin <= 2.0.4 - Broken Access Control vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2025-08450 Path traversal in kodezen StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
  • TI-2025-14160 Authorization bypass in kodezen Academy LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Complete eLearning… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2024-01406 Improper privilege management in kodezen Academy LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Complete… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2026-41323 WordPress aBlocks plugin < 2.9.1 - Privilege Escalation vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
See all 27 →

Sources