dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2026-4117

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-22
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 CalJ plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all versions up to, and including, 1.5. This is due to a missing capability check in the CalJSettingsPage class constructor, which processes the 'save-obtained-key' operation directly from POST data without verifying that the requesting user has the 'manage_options' capability, and without any nonce verification. The plugin bootstrap file (calj.php) instantiates CalJSettingsPage whenever is_admin() returns true, which is the case for any authenticated user making requests to wp-admin URLs (including admin-ajax.php). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to modify the plugin's API key setting and clear the Shabbat cache, effectively taking control of the plugin's API integration.

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 CalJ WordPress plugin lacks authorization checks in its settings page class constructor, allowing any authenticated user (Subscriber-level or higher) to modify the plugin's API key and clear caches via the 'save-obtained-key' operation. The vulnerability stems from direct POST data processing without capability verification ('manage_options') or nonce validation, and the plugin auto-instantiates the settings class for all admin requests including admin-ajax.php.

MitigationAdd a capability check requiring 'manage_options' and implement nonce verification before processing the 'save-obtained-key' operation. Gate the CalJSettingsPage instantiation to only trigger for users with appropriate privileges.

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. Confirm CalJ plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and verify the CalJ plugin appears in the installed plugins list
    Affected if CalJ plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify plugin version
    In the Plugins list, locate the CalJ plugin and note the version number displayed beneath the plugin name
    Affected if version cannot be verified or is earlier than any patched release
  3. Verify current user role permissions
    Check if your current WordPress user account has only Subscriber-level or higher privileges (not Administrator), then attempt to access wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with a POST request containing the 'save-obtained-key' action
    Affected if the request processes successfully without returning a permission denied error - indicating the plugin accepts the operation from lower-privileged users
  4. Inspect plugin settings class instantiation
    Examine the CalJ plugin source code (typically in includes/ or classes/ directory) for the CalJSettingsPage class constructor - look for missing current_user_can() or nonce verification checks before processing POST data for the 'save-obtained-key' operation
    Affected if the code shows direct POST data processing without capability checks (manage_options) or nonce validation in the constructor or save method
  5. Test API key modification capability
    As a non-admin user (Subscriber role), submit a crafted POST request to admin-ajax.php with action=save-obtained-key and parameter data (such as a dummy API key) to see if the plugin accepts and saves the value
    Affected if the plugin accepts and saves the API key modification without rejecting the request based on user privilege level

If the CalJ plugin is installed and any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access can modify the plugin's API key or clear caches via the save-obtained-key operation without admin privileges, the environment is affected by this authorization bypass vulnerability.

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

Add a capability check requiring 'manage_options' and implement nonce verification before processing the 'save-obtained-key' operation. Gate the CalJSettingsPage instantiation to only trigger for users with appropriate privileges.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2026-4117 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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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