CVE-2026-1233 Overview
CVE-2026-1233 affects the Text to Speech for WP (AI Voices by Mementor) plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 1.9.8. The plugin embeds hardcoded MySQL database credentials for the vendor's external telemetry server within the Mementor_TTS_Remote_Telemetry class. Unauthenticated attackers can extract and decode these credentials from the plugin source code. Successful extraction grants write access to the vendor's telemetry database. The flaw maps to CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials.
Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can recover hardcoded MySQL credentials from the plugin and obtain write access to the vendor's remote telemetry database, enabling tampering with collected telemetry across all installations.
Affected Products
- Text to Speech for WP (AI Voices by Mementor) plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.9.8
- WordPress sites with the plugin installed and accessible
- The vendor-operated external MySQL telemetry server reachable using the embedded credentials
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-04-04 - CVE-2026-1233 published to NVD
- 2026-04-24 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-1233
Vulnerability Analysis
The plugin ships with a class named Mementor_TTS_Remote_Telemetry that connects to the vendor's external MySQL server to report telemetry data. The connection parameters, including hostname, username, and password, are embedded directly in the plugin's PHP source. WordPress plugin files are readable on the server and the plugin source is also distributed publicly through the WordPress plugin repository.
Any party that downloads the plugin or fetches a publicly accessible PHP file can read the credentials. The credentials are stored in an encoded form rather than encrypted, so trivial decoding restores the cleartext values. Once recovered, the credentials permit direct authenticated MySQL access to the vendor's telemetry database.
The attacker does not need a WordPress account, administrative privileges, or user interaction. Exploitation occurs against the vendor's central infrastructure, not the WordPress site that hosts the plugin. Impact is limited to integrity of the telemetry database, since the CVSS vector shows confidentiality and availability are not affected at the WordPress site itself.
Root Cause
The root cause is the inclusion of static, shared credentials in code distributed to every plugin user. Every installation carries the same secret, and there is no per-tenant authentication, signed token, or server-issued ephemeral credential. This is a textbook CWE-798 condition.
Attack Vector
The attack is remote and unauthenticated. An attacker downloads the plugin from the WordPress repository, locates the Mementor_TTS_Remote_Telemetry class, extracts the encoded credential strings, decodes them, and then connects to the vendor's MySQL server from any internet host. Write access lets the attacker insert, modify, or delete telemetry rows. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report and the WordPress Plugin Changeset for source-level details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-1233
Indicators of Compromise
- Presence of the Mementor_TTS_Remote_Telemetry class in plugin versions <= 1.9.8 on the WordPress filesystem
- Outbound MySQL connections from WordPress hosts to the vendor's telemetry endpoint on TCP port 3306
- Anomalous write activity, schema changes, or unexpected row deletions in the vendor-side telemetry database originating from unknown source IP addresses
Detection Strategies
- Scan plugin directories under wp-content/plugins/text-to-speech-tts/ for the vulnerable class and flag versions at or below 1.9.8
- On the vendor telemetry server, audit MySQL general_log or proxy logs for authentications from IP addresses outside the expected WordPress fleet
- Compare installed plugin versions against the patched changeset referenced in the WordPress Plugin Repository
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on egress MySQL traffic from WordPress web tiers to any external host, since most WordPress installations should not initiate outbound database connections
- Monitor the vendor-side telemetry database for row counts, unexpected INSERT patterns, and credential reuse from anomalous geographies
- Track WordPress plugin update events to confirm sites have moved past version 1.9.8
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-1233
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Text to Speech for WP plugin to a version above 1.9.8 that removes the embedded credentials, per the WordPress Plugin Changeset
- Vendor operators must rotate the MySQL credentials referenced in the Mementor_TTS_Remote_Telemetry class and revoke the leaked account
- Restrict the vendor telemetry MySQL server to an allowlist of expected source networks or front it with a token-authenticated HTTPS API
Patch Information
The vendor addressed the issue in the WordPress plugin trunk through changeset 3453258. Site administrators should install the fixed release using the WordPress plugin updater. The vendor must additionally invalidate the disclosed database credentials, since patching the plugin alone does not protect telemetry data already exposed through prior releases.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and remove the Text to Speech for WP plugin until the patched version is installed
- Block outbound TCP 3306 from WordPress hosts at the perimeter firewall to prevent the plugin from reaching the vendor telemetry endpoint
- For the vendor: replace direct MySQL exposure with an authenticated REST API that issues per-site signed tokens, eliminating shared static credentials
# Configuration example: identify and remove vulnerable plugin installs
wp plugin get text-to-speech-tts --field=version
wp plugin update text-to-speech-tts
# If a patched version is not yet available, deactivate the plugin:
wp plugin deactivate text-to-speech-tts
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
