dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2026-4297

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Welcome Software Publishing plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary Options Update in all versions up to and including 0.0.31. This is due to a missing capability check in the nc_setOption() function, which is exposed via the nc.setOption XML-RPC method. The function authenticates the user via $wp_xmlrpc_server->login() (verifying credentials are valid) but does not perform any authorization check such as current_user_can('manage_options'). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update arbitrary WordPress options via XML-RPC requests. This can be leveraged to change the default_role option to 'administrator' and then register a new administrator account, achieving full privilege escalation and site takeover.

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 Welcome Software Publishing WordPress plugin (versions up to 0.0.31) has a missing capability check in its nc_setOption() function exposed via the nc.setOption XML-RPC method. While the function authenticates users via XML-RPC login, it lacks authorization verification (current_user_can('manage_options')), allowing any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access or higher to modify arbitrary WordPress options. Attackers can escalate privileges by changing default_role to administrator and creating a new admin account.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a version beyond 0.0.31 that includes proper capability checks, or remove the plugin if no update is available. Alternatively, disable XML-RPC if not needed, or restrict access to the nc.setOption method via server-side configuration.

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Confirm plugin installation and version
    Inspect the plugin directory wp-content/plugins/ for a folder named 'welcome-software-publishing' or similar. Open the main plugin PHP file and look for the Version header in the plugin comment block, or check readme.txt for the version field.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and its version is 0.0.31 or lower.
  2. Verify XML-RPC endpoint is accessible
    Check if the file xmlrpc.php exists in the WordPress root directory and responds to requests. You can also query the WordPress options table (wp_options) for the 'xmlrpc_enabled' option value, or test connectivity to the endpoint.
    Affected if XML-RPC is enabled and the plugin is installed in a vulnerable version.
  3. Identify users with Subscriber-level access
    Query the wp_usermeta table for users with the wp_capabilities meta_key containing 'subscriber'. You can also use WP-CLI: wp user list --role=subscriber
    Affected if Any authenticated user with Subscriber role or higher exists in the system.
  4. Check for privilege escalation indicators
    Review the wp_options table for unusual changes to 'default_role' (should not be 'administrator'), and examine wp_users for any newly created administrator accounts you did not create. Use: SELECT * FROM wp_users WHERE user_login NOT IN ('admin', 'your_expected_admin_names');
    Affected if The default_role option has been changed to administrator, or unexpected administrator accounts exist.

A user is affected if the Welcome Software Publishing plugin is installed at version 0.0.31 or lower, XML-RPC is enabled, and any subscriber-level or higher user account exists in the WordPress installation.

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 the plugin to a version beyond 0.0.31 that includes proper capability checks, or remove the plugin if no update is available. Alternatively, disable XML-RPC if not needed, or restrict access to the nc.setOption method via server-side configuration.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,072.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-4297 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-4297 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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