CVE-2026-11781 Overview
CVE-2026-11781 is an information disclosure vulnerability in the Adminify WordPress plugin before version 4.2.10. The plugin's administration search feature does not perform per-user read-capability checks on returned results. Authenticated users holding the low-privilege Contributor role can query the search feature and retrieve non-public content they are not authorized to view. Exposed data includes other authors' unpublished post titles, pending comment content, the plugin inventory of the site, and user account names.
Critical Impact
Contributor-level accounts can enumerate non-public WordPress content and user account names, providing reconnaissance data for follow-on attacks.
Affected Products
- Adminify WordPress plugin versions prior to 4.2.10
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-07-02 - CVE-2026-11781 published to NVD
- 2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-11781
Vulnerability Analysis
The Adminify plugin exposes an administration search feature intended for privileged users managing site content. The feature aggregates search results across multiple WordPress data sources, including posts, comments, users, and plugin metadata. The vulnerability stems from the plugin returning these results directly to any authenticated caller without validating whether the requesting user has the WordPress capability required to read each item.
WordPress normally restricts visibility of unpublished posts, pending comments, and user lists based on role capabilities such as edit_others_posts, moderate_comments, and list_users. The Adminify search endpoint bypasses these checks. A Contributor account, which is the lowest role that can access the WordPress admin area to create draft posts, can reach the endpoint and receive data intended for Editors or Administrators.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing authorization on returned data (broken access control). The plugin authenticates the request but performs no per-item capability check before including results in the response. This is a horizontal and vertical information disclosure flaw affecting confidentiality only.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires an authenticated session with Contributor privileges or higher and network access to the WordPress admin interface. The attacker issues search queries through the Adminify feature and parses the response for content that WordPress would otherwise hide. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own session. Refer to the WPScan Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-11781
Indicators of Compromise
- Repeated requests from Contributor-level accounts to Adminify search endpoints in wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or plugin-specific routes.
- Response payloads to low-privilege sessions containing unpublished post titles, pending comment bodies, or user account names.
- Contributor accounts exhibiting reconnaissance patterns such as sequential or wildcard search queries.
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access logs for action parameters tied to the Adminify search feature originating from non-Editor, non-Administrator sessions.
- Correlate authentication logs with plugin endpoint access to identify low-privilege users retrieving high-privilege data.
- Baseline normal Contributor activity and alert on deviations involving admin-search endpoints.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to capture admin-ajax and REST calls with user role context.
- Forward web server and application logs to a centralized log store for retention and query.
- Monitor for enumeration signatures such as short, high-frequency search terms from a single Contributor account.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-11781
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade the Adminify WordPress plugin to version 4.2.10 or later on all affected sites.
- Audit existing Contributor accounts and remove any that are inactive or unnecessary.
- Review WordPress logs since the plugin was installed for signs of enumeration by low-privilege users.
Patch Information
The vendor fixed the issue in Adminify version 4.2.10 by adding per-user read-capability checks to the search feature. See the WPScan Vulnerability Report for advisory details and version confirmation.
Workarounds
- Restrict access to the WordPress admin area using IP allow-lists or a web application firewall until the patch is applied.
- Temporarily deactivate the Adminify plugin if immediate patching is not possible.
- Reduce or eliminate Contributor-role accounts on sites where the plugin is active.
# Update the Adminify plugin using WP-CLI
wp plugin update wp-adminify --version=4.2.10
wp plugin list --name=wp-adminify --fields=name,status,version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
