dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2026-3645

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Punnel – Landing Page Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.1. The save_config() function, which handles the 'punnel_save_config' AJAX action, lacks any capability check (current_user_can()) and nonce verification. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to overwrite the plugin's entire configuration including the API key via a POST request to admin-ajax.php. Once the API key is known (because the attacker set it), the attacker can use the plugin's public API endpoint (sniff_requests() at /?punnel_api=1) — which only validates requests by comparing a POST token against the stored api_key — to create, update, or delete arbitrary posts, pages, and products on the 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 Punnel WordPress plugin lacks authorization checks on its save_config() AJAX handler, allowing any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access to overwrite plugin settings including the API key. This can then be exploited via the public punnel_api endpoint to manipulate arbitrary site content.

MitigationAdd capability checks and nonce verification to the save_config() function, and harden the API endpoint validation to prevent unauthorized content manipulation.

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
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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 Punnel plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Punnel' in the list. Note whether it is active or inactive.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active, exposing the vulnerable AJAX handler and API endpoint.
  2. Check installed plugin version
    Click on the plugin name in the WordPress plugins list to view the version number, or check the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/punnel/punnel.php if filesystem access is available.
    Affected if The installed version lacks the authorization fix for the save_config() function (compare your version to the affected ranges if known).
  3. Test AJAX save_config accessibility
    Send an authenticated AJAX request to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=save_config and a modified parameter (such as a dummy api_key value), using a test account with Subscriber role or higher.
    Affected if The request succeeds and settings are modified without requiring administrator-level permissions, indicating the authorization flaw is present.
  4. Verify Subscriber-level access
    Create or use a test account with the Subscriber role only. Attempt to access the save_config AJAX endpoint using that account's credentials.
    Affected if A Subscriber-level user can successfully modify plugin settings, confirming the missing capability check.
  5. Inspect punnel_api endpoint exposure
    Send a request to /?action=punnel_api (or the documented endpoint) and observe whether it accepts and processes requests without authentication validation.
    Affected if The API endpoint processes requests and allows content manipulation without verifying the user's privilege level or validating the API key was legitimately set.

Your environment is affected if the Punnel plugin is active and any authenticated user with Subscriber access can modify plugin settings via save_config() or manipulate content via the punnel_api endpoint without proper authorization.

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

Add capability checks and nonce verification to the save_config() function, and harden the API endpoint validation to prevent unauthorized content manipulation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 1.3.2 or later (any version above 1.3.1)

  1. 1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard with administrator privileges
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the Punnel – Landing Page Builder plugin
  4. 4. Check if an update is available for the plugin
  5. 5. If update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is running version 1.3.2 or higher
  7. 7. Review the plugin settings to ensure configuration is intact
  8. 8. Consider changing API keys and reviewing user access permissions as a precaution

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2026-3645 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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