CVE-2026-110976 Overview
CVE-2026-110976 is a missing authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the AI Engine WordPress plugin before version 3.7.9. The plugin fails to verify that an item passed to one of its media actions belongs to the requesting user before converting it to an attachment and permanently deleting it. Authenticated users with Editor role or higher can abuse this flaw to delete arbitrary posts of any type. The impact extends to content these users normally cannot delete, including navigation menus, block templates, and global styles. The vulnerability affects site integrity and availability of structural WordPress content.
Critical Impact
Editor-level accounts can permanently delete arbitrary posts, menus, templates, and global styles, enabling destructive tampering of site structure.
Affected Products
- AI Engine WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.7.9
- WordPress sites with Editor or higher role accounts
- Sites relying on navigation menus, block templates, and global styles managed via the plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-10-18 - CVE-2026-110976 published to NVD
- 2026-10-19 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-110976
Vulnerability Analysis
The AI Engine plugin exposes media-related actions that convert an item into an attachment and then delete it permanently. The handler accepts an item identifier from the request but omits an ownership check against the requesting user. As a result, any authenticated user with sufficient role privileges can target identifiers that reference posts outside their authorized scope.
Because WordPress stores many non-post objects as wp_posts rows, including navigation menus (nav_menu_item), block templates (wp_template), template parts (wp_template_part), and global styles (wp_global_styles), the deletion routine reaches content normally restricted to administrators. The flaw maps to the Common Weakness Enumeration category Missing Authorization [CWE-862].
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing object-level authorization check in the media action handler. The code validates the user's role or capability to invoke the action but does not confirm the target item belongs to that user or that the user holds the capability required to delete that specific post type. This gap converts a user-scoped operation into an arbitrary-object operation.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires an authenticated session with Editor privileges or higher. An attacker sends a crafted request to the vulnerable media action referencing the post identifier they wish to delete. The handler proceeds through the attachment conversion and permanent deletion path without verifying ownership or post-type permissions, destroying the targeted content. Refer to the WPScan Vulnerability Advisory for technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-110976
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected deletion entries in the WordPress audit log for nav_menu_item, wp_template, wp_template_part, or wp_global_styles post types.
- Requests to AI Engine admin-ajax.php or REST endpoints referencing media actions with post identifiers that do not correspond to attachments owned by the caller.
- Sudden disappearance of site navigation menus, block templates, or global styles without a corresponding administrator action.
Detection Strategies
- Review web server access logs for POST requests from Editor accounts to AI Engine media action endpoints followed by missing content.
- Enable WordPress action logging plugins to capture delete_post and wp_trash_post events correlated with the plugin's handler.
- Compare database snapshots of the wp_posts table to identify unauthorized removals of structural post types.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on bulk deletion events against non-attachment post types issued by non-administrator users.
- Track invocation counts of AI Engine media actions per user and flag anomalies.
- Monitor plugin version inventory across managed WordPress sites to confirm upgrade to 3.7.9 or later.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-110976
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade the AI Engine plugin to version 3.7.9 or later on all WordPress installations.
- Audit Editor-role accounts and revoke access that is no longer required.
- Restore deleted navigation menus, block templates, and global styles from the most recent clean backup if tampering is identified.
Patch Information
The vendor addressed CVE-2026-110976 in AI Engine version 3.7.9 by adding ownership and capability checks before the media action deletes a post. Review the WPScan Vulnerability Advisory for upgrade guidance.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the AI Engine plugin until the patched version can be deployed.
- Restrict Editor role assignment and temporarily downgrade untrusted accounts to Author or Contributor.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule blocking requests to the plugin's media action endpoints from non-administrator sessions.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
