CVE-2026-5523
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 · uneditedThe Divi Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in versions up to, and including, 5.1.8. This is due to the update_user() function accepting a user ID parameter from form submissions without verifying that the authenticated user has permission to edit that specific user account, and the handle_register_submission() function only checking if any user is logged in rather than validating permissions for the target user. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to change the email address and password of any user account, including administrators, resulting in complete account 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 confidenceThe Divi Form Builder plugin for WordPress versions up to 5.1.8 contains a Missing Authorization vulnerability in its user update functionality. The update_user() function accepts a user ID from form submissions without verifying the authenticated user has permission to edit that specific account, while handle_register_submission() only checks if a user is logged in rather than validating permissions for the target user. This allows any authenticated user with subscriber-level access to modify email addresses and passwords of arbitrary user accounts including administrators.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Divi Form Builder plugin is installedNavigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and locate Divi Form Builder in the list of installed pluginsAffected if Divi Form Builder appears in the installed plugins list
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Identify the installed versionClick on the plugin to view its details, or check the plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/divi-form-builder/includes/main.php for the Version: X.X.X commentAffected if The plugin version displayed cannot be confirmed as patched against this authorization bypass (no fixed version provided in advisory)
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Verify user registration or profile update forms existCheck the WordPress site for any published forms created with Divi Form Builder that include user registration or profile update fieldsAffected if Any Divi Form Builder forms accepting user ID, email, or password updates are present and accessible to authenticated users
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Confirm subscriber-level accounts existNavigate to WordPress admin > Users and review the list of users with Subscriber roleAffected if There are users with Subscriber role or higher who could access the vulnerable functions
A user is affected if Divi Form Builder is installed with any accessible user registration or profile update forms, and any authenticated user with subscriber-level access exists on the site.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate the Divi Form Builder plugin to a version beyond 5.1.8 once the vendor releases a patched version, and verify that proper capability checks are enforced on user modification functions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-5523 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-5523 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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