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Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2026-4065

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 Smart Slider 3 plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access and modification of data due to missing capability checks on multiple wp_ajax_smart-slider3 controller actions in all versions up to, and including, 3.5.1.33. The display_admin_ajax() method does not call checkForCap() (which requires unfiltered_html capability), and several controller actions only validate the nonce (validateToken()) without calling validatePermission(). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to enumerate slider metadata and create, modify, and delete image storage records by obtaining the nextend_nonce exposed on post editor pages.

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 Smart Slider 3 WordPress plugin fails to perform proper capability checks on multiple AJAX endpoints. The display_admin_ajax() method skips checkForCap(), and other controller actions only validate nonces via validateToken() without calling validatePermission(). This allows authenticated users with Contributor-level access to enumerate slider metadata and manipulate image storage records through the exposed nextend_nonce.

MitigationUpdate to the latest version of Smart Slider 3 which includes proper capability checks. If no update is available, disable the plugin or restrict AJAX endpoint access at the server level until a patch is released.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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. Confirm Smart Slider 3 plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and verify Smart Slider 3 appears in the installed plugins list, or query the wp_options table for option_name = 'smartslider3_version'
    Affected if Plugin is installed and active
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Smart Slider 3 and read the version number displayed below the plugin name, or retrieve from database: SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'smartslider3_version'
    Affected if Version is 3.5.1.33 or lower (any version up to and including 3.5.1.33)
  3. Verify contributor-level users exist
    Query user roles in WordPress: SELECT user_id, meta_value FROM wp_usermeta WHERE meta_key = 'wp_capabilities' and check for 'contributor' role assignment
    Affected if At least one user account has Contributor role or higher privileges
  4. Test AJAX endpoint accessibility
    Send an authenticated request as a Contributor user to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with a Smart Slider 3 action (such as action=smartsliderajax or similar plugin-specific AJAX actions) and verify the endpoint processes the request without returning a capability error
    Affected if AJAX endpoint accepts and processes requests from Contributor-level users without proper capability verification

If Smart Slider 3 version 3.5.1.33 or lower is installed and the site has Contributor-level users, the improper authorization vulnerability is present.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to the latest version of Smart Slider 3 which includes proper capability checks. If no update is available, disable the plugin or restrict AJAX endpoint access at the server level until a patch is released.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2026-4065 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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