CVE-2026-24551: Monetag Plugin Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-24551 Overview

CVE-2026-24551 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) in the Monetag Official Plugin for WordPress. The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized access to plugin functionality. This Broken Access Control flaw affects all versions of the monetag-official plugin up to and including version 1.1.3.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can bypass authorization checks to access restricted plugin functionality, potentially leading to unauthorized data access and integrity compromise.

Affected Products

• Monetag Official Plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 1.1.3

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-23 - CVE-2026-24551 published to NVD
• 2026-01-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24551

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from a missing authorization check in the Monetag Official Plugin for WordPress. The plugin fails to properly verify that a user has the appropriate permissions before allowing access to certain functionality. While the attack requires authentication with low-level privileges, the absence of proper authorization controls allows attackers to perform actions that should be restricted to higher-privilege users.

The vulnerability has a network-based attack vector with low attack complexity, meaning it can be exploited remotely without requiring user interaction. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized access to sensitive configuration data and the ability to modify plugin settings.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-24551 is the absence of capability checks or nonce verification in the plugin's access control implementation. WordPress plugins are expected to verify user capabilities using functions like current_user_can() before executing privileged operations. The Monetag Official Plugin fails to implement these authorization checks in one or more of its endpoints or AJAX handlers, allowing authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires the attacker to have authenticated access to the WordPress site, even with minimal privileges such as a Subscriber role. The attacker can then directly access plugin functionality that should only be available to administrators or editors.

The vulnerability can be exploited by sending crafted requests to plugin endpoints that lack proper authorization verification. Since no user interaction is required beyond the initial authentication, exploitation can be automated once valid credentials are obtained.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24551

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to Monetag plugin configuration settings
• Unauthorized access to plugin admin pages from low-privilege user accounts
• Suspicious AJAX requests to Monetag plugin endpoints from non-administrative users
• Audit logs showing plugin settings modifications by unauthorized users

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress audit logs for unauthorized access attempts to plugin settings
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect suspicious requests to the monetag-official plugin endpoints
• Review user activity logs for privilege escalation patterns
• Configure alerting for configuration changes made by non-administrator users

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for WordPress plugin activities
• Monitor HTTP request logs for unusual patterns targeting the Monetag plugin
• Implement real-time alerting for unauthorized setting modifications
• Conduct periodic reviews of user permissions and plugin access patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24551

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Monetag Official Plugin to a patched version when available from the vendor
• Review and restrict user roles to minimize the number of authenticated accounts with access to the WordPress admin area
• Implement additional access controls at the web server level to restrict plugin endpoint access
• Consider temporarily deactivating the Monetag Official Plugin until a patch is available

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2026-01-26, organizations should monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for patch availability and updated remediation guidance. Check the WordPress plugin repository for updated versions of the monetag-official plugin that address this vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to enforce authorization checks at the network perimeter
• Restrict WordPress admin access to trusted IP addresses only
• Audit and remove unnecessary user accounts, especially those with Subscriber or Contributor roles
• Use a WordPress security plugin to add additional capability checks and monitoring