dbcve.org
Missing AuthenticationWeakness · CWE-306

CVE-2026-23693

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-23
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
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor (elementskit-lite) WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.7.9 expose the REST endpoint /wp-json/elementskit/v1/widget/mailchimp/subscribe without authentication. The endpoint accepts client-supplied Mailchimp API credentials and insufficiently validates certain parameters, including the list parameter, when constructing upstream Mailchimp API requests. An unauthenticated attacker can abuse the endpoint as an open proxy to Mailchimp, potentially triggering unauthorized API calls, manipulating subscription data, exhausting API quotas, or causing resource consumption on the affected WordPress site.

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 ElementsKit Lite WordPress plugin versions before 3.7.9 expose an unprotected REST API endpoint at /wp-json/elementskit/v1/widget/mailchimp/subscribe that accepts client-supplied Mailchimp API credentials without authentication, allowing unauthenticated attackers to use the affected site as an open proxy for arbitrary Mailchimp API calls.

MitigationUpgrade ElementsKit Lite to version 3.7.9 or later which adds proper authentication and input validation to the mailchimp subscription endpoint.

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
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/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. Verify elementskit-lite plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'elementskit-lite' or check the plugins directory for /wp-content/plugins/elementskit-lite/
    Affected if Plugin is not installed means not affected
  2. Determine installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, find elementskit-lite in Plugins list and note the version number displayed, or read the main plugin file header in /wp-content/plugins/elementskit-lite/elementskit-lite.php for 'Version:' value
    Affected if Version is 3.7.9 or later means not affected, version is below 3.7.9 or cannot be determined means potentially affected
  3. Confirm REST endpoint is accessible without authentication
    Send a GET or POST request to /wp-json/elementskit/v1/widget/mailchimp/subscribe using curl or a browser while NOT logged in. Example: curl -X POST https://your-site.com/wp-json/elementskit/v1/widget/mailchimp/subscribe
    Affected if Endpoint returns any response (even an error) without requiring login credentials means the endpoint is exposed and potentially vulnerable
  4. Check if mailchimp functionality responds to parameter injection
    Send a POST request to the endpoint with a test payload such as {"api_key":"test","email":"[email protected]"} and observe if the server processes the request rather than rejecting it with an authentication error
    Affected if Server accepts the request and returns a Mailchimp-related response (even if the API key is invalid) rather than a 401/403 authentication error means the authentication bypass is present

If elementskit-lite version is below 3.7.9 AND the /wp-json/elementskit/v1/widget/mailchimp/subscribe endpoint is accessible without authentication, the environment is affected by this CVE.

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

Upgrade ElementsKit Lite to version 3.7.9 or later which adds proper authentication and input validation to the mailchimp subscription endpoint.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.7.9

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the 'ElementsKit Elementor Addons' (elementskit-lite) plugin
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 3.7.9 or later
  5. 5. Alternatively, manually upload version 3.7.9 or later of the plugin from wordpress.org/plugins/elementskit-lite
  6. 6. After updating, verify the REST endpoint /wp-json/elementskit/v1/widget/mailchimp/subscribe now requires authentication

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2026-23693 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data