dbcve.org
CWE-350Weakness · CWE-350

CVE-2026-1490

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized Arbitrary Plugin Installation due to an authorization bypass via reverse DNS (PTR record) spoofing on the 'checkWithoutToken' function in all versions up to, and including, 6.71. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to install and activate arbitrary plugins which can be leveraged to achieve remote code execution if another vulnerable plugin is installed and activated. Note: This is only exploitable on sites with an invalid API key.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The CleanTalk WordPress plugin has an authorization bypass vulnerability in the 'checkWithoutToken' function that allows unauthenticated attackers to install and activate arbitrary plugins via reverse DNS (PTR record) spoofing. This only affects sites with an invalid API key, but successful exploitation can lead to remote code execution if the attacker activates a vulnerable plugin.

MitigationUpdate the CleanTalk plugin to version 6.72 or later and ensure a valid API key is configured. Sites with invalid API keys are specifically vulnerable to this attack vector.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify CleanTalk plugin version
    Access WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Plugins section, locate CleanTalk Security plugin, and note the installed version number displayed
    Affected if Installed version is 6.71 or earlier (the vulnerability affects versions up to 6.71)
  2. Verify API key status
    Navigate to CleanTalk plugin settings in WordPress admin panel, locate the API key configuration field, and determine whether a valid API key is currently configured
    Affected if The API key field is empty, shows as invalid, or displays an error indicating the key is not validated - the vulnerability requires an invalid/missing API key to be exploitable
  3. Check for unauthorized plugin activity
    Review the WordPress plugins list in the admin dashboard and check for any plugins that were installed or activated without proper authorization, especially unfamiliar or malicious-looking plugins
    Affected if Unexpected plugins appear in the plugin list that were not intentionally installed by administrators
  4. Inspect network DNS configuration
    Examine server DNS PTR records for the domain(s) that the CleanTalk plugin is configured to trust for reverse DNS verification - verify if spoofing is feasible
    Affected if PTR records can be easily manipulated or no proper DNS validation is in place for the trusted domains

A site is affected if it runs CleanTalk plugin version 6.71 or earlier AND has an invalid or missing API key configured, allowing the PTR-based authentication bypass to be exploited.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the CleanTalk plugin to version 6.72 or later and ensure a valid API key is configured. Sites with invalid API keys are specifically vulnerable to this attack vector.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 6.72 or later (check WordPress plugin repository for latest stable release)

  1. 1. Obtain a valid API key from CleanTalk and configure it in the plugin settings to prevent exploitation (the vulnerability only works with invalid API keys).
  2. 2. Alternatively, upgrade the CleanTalk plugin to the latest version available in the WordPress plugin repository.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-1490 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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