CVE-2026-22485: My Album Gallery Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-22485 Overview

A Missing Authorization vulnerability has been identified in the My Album Gallery WordPress plugin developed by Ruhul Amin. This vulnerability (CWE-862) allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling arbitrary file deletion on affected WordPress installations. The flaw exists due to insufficient authorization checks, which permits authenticated users with low privileges to perform unauthorized actions.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can bypass access controls and delete arbitrary files on the WordPress server, potentially leading to website defacement, loss of critical data, or complete site compromise.

Affected Products

• My Album Gallery WordPress Plugin versions through 1.0.4
• WordPress installations running vulnerable plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-25 - CVE-2026-22485 published to NVD
• 2026-03-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-22485

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from a Missing Authorization weakness (CWE-862) in the My Album Gallery plugin. The plugin fails to properly verify user permissions before executing sensitive operations, specifically file deletion functionality. This allows authenticated users with minimal privileges to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators.

The vulnerability requires network access and low-level authentication to exploit. While no user interaction is required, successful exploitation can result in high integrity impact through unauthorized file manipulation and deletion. The unchanged scope indicates the vulnerability's impact is limited to the vulnerable component itself, though the consequences of arbitrary file deletion can cascade to affect overall site functionality.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of proper authorization checks within the plugin's file management functionality. The plugin fails to implement capability checks using WordPress functions like current_user_can() before processing file deletion requests. This oversight allows any authenticated user, regardless of their role, to invoke administrative functions.

Attack Vector

The attack can be executed remotely over the network by any authenticated WordPress user. An attacker with a low-privilege account (such as a subscriber role) can craft requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints to delete files on the server. The attack does not require any special conditions or user interaction, making it relatively straightforward to exploit once an attacker has obtained any level of authenticated access to the WordPress site.

The vulnerability manifests when the plugin processes file management requests without verifying the requesting user's authorization level. Attackers can target critical WordPress files, configuration files, or uploaded content. For technical details, see the Patchstack security advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-22485

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected file deletions in WordPress directories, particularly in wp-content/uploads/ or plugin directories
• Suspicious HTTP requests to My Album Gallery plugin endpoints from low-privilege user accounts
• Missing media files or gallery images without corresponding administrator actions
• Web server logs showing unusual DELETE or POST requests to plugin AJAX handlers

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress audit logs for file deletion events initiated by non-administrator accounts
• Implement file integrity monitoring on critical WordPress directories to detect unauthorized changes
• Review web server access logs for requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with plugin-specific action parameters
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious file operation requests

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all file system operations within the WordPress installation
• Configure alerts for any file deletion events outside of normal administrative maintenance windows
• Implement user activity monitoring to track actions performed by each authenticated account
• Regularly audit user roles and capabilities to ensure least-privilege principles are enforced

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-22485

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate and remove the My Album Gallery plugin immediately if not essential to operations
• Audit all user accounts and remove unnecessary accounts or reduce privileges where possible
• Review file system for any evidence of unauthorized deletions and restore from backups if needed
• Implement additional access controls at the web server level to restrict plugin functionality

Patch Information

No patch information is currently available from the vendor. Organizations should monitor the Patchstack vulnerability database for updates regarding a security fix. Consider replacing the plugin with an alternative that is actively maintained and has a strong security track record.

Workarounds

• Restrict plugin access to administrator roles only by implementing custom capability checks
• Use a WordPress security plugin to enforce additional authorization layers
• Implement file system permissions at the OS level to prevent web server write/delete operations on critical files
• Consider using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block malicious requests targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoints

# Restrict file permissions on critical WordPress directories
chmod 755 /var/www/html/wp-content/
chmod 644 /var/www/html/wp-config.php

# Block direct access to plugin AJAX handlers via .htaccess (Apache)
# Add to wp-content/plugins/my-album-gallery/.htaccess
<Files "*.php">
  Order Deny,Allow
  Deny from all
</Files>