CVE-2026-0825: WordPress Forms Database Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2026-0825 Overview

The Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms plugin for WordPress contains an authorization bypass vulnerability due to missing capability checks on the CSV export functionality in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.5. This security flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to download sensitive form submission data containing personally identifiable information (PII) by accessing the CSV export endpoint with an export key that is exposed in publicly accessible page source code.

The vulnerability arises from an inconsistency in security controls: while the shortcode properly filters displayed entries by user, the CSV export handler completely bypasses this filtering and exports all entries regardless of user permissions.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can harvest sensitive PII including names, emails, phone numbers, and any other data collected through contact forms by exploiting the unprotected CSV export endpoint.

Affected Products

• Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms plugin for WordPress versions ≤ 1.4.5
• WordPress sites using the contact-form-entries plugin with CSV export functionality enabled
• Any WordPress installation exposing form submission data through this plugin

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-28 - CVE CVE-2026-0825 published to NVD
• 2026-01-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-0825

Vulnerability Analysis

This authorization bypass vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) occurs due to the absence of proper capability checks in the CSV export handler. The plugin implements user-based filtering when displaying form entries via shortcodes, creating an expectation of access control. However, the CSV export functionality fails to implement equivalent authorization checks, allowing any user—including unauthenticated visitors—to export the complete database of form submissions.

The attack is particularly concerning because the export key required to access the CSV endpoint is embedded in publicly accessible page source code. This means an attacker simply needs to view the source of a page containing the form entries shortcode to obtain the key needed to download all form data.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from an architectural oversight where two different code paths handling the same data implement inconsistent security controls. The shortcode rendering path at contact-form-entries.php line 76 properly enforces user-based filtering, while the CSV export handler lacks equivalent capability checks. Additionally, the export key is exposed in the leads table template, making it trivially accessible to anyone who can view the page source.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Visiting a WordPress site with the vulnerable plugin installed
2. Locating a page that uses the form entries shortcode
3. Viewing the page source to extract the export key from the HTML
4. Crafting a request to the CSV export endpoint using the extracted key
5. Downloading all form submission data regardless of user permissions

The vulnerability requires no special privileges and can be exploited remotely with low complexity. The attacker gains read access to sensitive form data but cannot modify or delete entries.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-0825

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to CSV export endpoints, particularly from unauthenticated sessions
• Requests to the plugin's export functionality from IP addresses not associated with administrative users
• Spike in data export requests or unusually large CSV downloads
• Web server logs showing direct access to export endpoints without corresponding authenticated sessions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application logs for requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with export-related action parameters from unauthenticated users
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and alert on bulk data export attempts
• Review access logs for patterns indicating automated scraping of the export endpoint
• Enable WordPress audit logging to track all export operations and correlate with authenticated sessions

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for any CSV export operations performed by non-administrative users
• Implement rate limiting on export endpoints to slow down bulk data extraction attempts
• Monitor for reconnaissance activity such as repeated page source requests or probing of plugin endpoints
• Set up data loss prevention (DLP) alerts for large outbound data transfers from WordPress installations

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-0825

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms plugin to a version newer than 1.4.5 immediately
• Audit access logs to determine if the vulnerability has been exploited prior to patching
• Review all exported form data to assess potential PII exposure
• Notify affected users if evidence of data exfiltration is discovered

Patch Information

The vendor has released a fix as documented in the WordPress Contact Form Entries Changeset. Users should update to the latest version available through the WordPress plugin repository. The patch adds proper capability checks to the CSV export handler to ensure only authorized users can access form submission data.

For detailed vulnerability analysis, refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis.

Workarounds

• Disable the CSV export functionality by removing or restricting access to the export endpoint via .htaccess rules or server configuration
• Implement IP-based access restrictions to allow export functionality only from trusted administrative IP addresses
• Use a Web Application Firewall to block unauthenticated requests to the export endpoint
• Temporarily deactivate the plugin until the update can be applied if form data contains highly sensitive PII

# Apache .htaccess workaround to restrict export endpoint access
# Add to WordPress root .htaccess file
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
# Block unauthenticated export requests
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} admin-ajax\.php [NC]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} action=.*export.*csv [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE} !wordpress_logged_in [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>