CVE-2026-24578: Admin Login URL Change Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2026-24578 Overview

CVE-2026-24578 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability affecting the Admin Login URL Change plugin for WordPress, developed by Jahid Hasan. This security flaw allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive functionality within affected WordPress installations.

The vulnerability stems from broken access control mechanisms within the plugin, which fails to properly validate user authorization before granting access to protected resources. This type of vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) occurs when an application does not perform proper authorization checks, allowing authenticated users with lower privileges to access functionality intended for administrators or other higher-privileged users.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with minimal privileges can bypass access control mechanisms and potentially discover or access sensitive administrative functionality within WordPress installations running vulnerable versions of the Admin Login URL Change plugin.

Affected Products

• WordPress Admin Login URL Change plugin versions through 1.1.5
• WordPress installations using the admin-login-url-change plugin
• All WordPress environments running vulnerable plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-23 - CVE-2026-24578 published to NVD
• 2026-01-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24578

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a classic broken access control flaw where the plugin fails to implement proper authorization checks. The Admin Login URL Change plugin is designed to enhance WordPress security by allowing administrators to modify the default login URL (typically /wp-admin or /wp-login.php). However, the vulnerability allows low-privileged authenticated users to bypass these security controls.

The attack can be executed over the network and requires low privileges, meaning an attacker only needs a basic authenticated session on the target WordPress site. No user interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly concerning for multi-user WordPress installations.

The primary security impact is unauthorized information disclosure. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability may be able to access configuration details, including potentially discovering the custom admin login URL that the plugin is designed to protect—effectively negating the security benefit the plugin is supposed to provide.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-24578 is insufficient authorization checks within the plugin's codebase. The plugin does not properly verify that users have appropriate permissions before allowing access to certain functionality or data. This missing authorization check (CWE-862) enables users with basic subscriber or contributor roles to access features that should be restricted to administrators.

WordPress plugins should implement capability checks using functions like current_user_can() before executing sensitive operations. The absence of these checks in the Admin Login URL Change plugin creates the authorization bypass condition.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring the attacker to have an authenticated session on the target WordPress installation. The attack flow typically involves:

1. An attacker obtains or creates a low-privileged account on the target WordPress site (such as a subscriber account)
2. The attacker authenticates to the WordPress installation using these credentials
3. The attacker accesses plugin functionality or endpoints that lack proper authorization checks
4. Without proper capability verification, the plugin returns sensitive information or allows unauthorized actions

The vulnerability requires authentication but does not require any special privileges beyond a basic user account. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24578

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to plugin-specific endpoints from low-privileged user accounts
• Authentication logs showing subscriber or contributor accounts accessing administrative plugin functionality
• Unexpected queries or requests to plugin settings pages from non-administrator sessions
• Access log entries indicating enumeration attempts against plugin endpoints

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress authentication and access logs for anomalous behavior from low-privileged accounts
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block unauthorized access attempts to plugin endpoints
• Use WordPress security plugins to audit and log access to administrative functionality
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying privilege escalation attempts in WordPress environments

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for WordPress plugin activity and review logs regularly for suspicious access patterns
• Configure alerting for access attempts to plugin settings pages from non-administrator user roles
• Implement real-time monitoring of WordPress user activity using security plugins or SIEM integration
• Regularly audit user roles and permissions to ensure principle of least privilege is maintained

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24578

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit your WordPress installations to identify instances of the Admin Login URL Change plugin at version 1.1.5 or earlier
• Consider temporarily deactivating the plugin until a patched version becomes available
• Review WordPress user accounts and remove unnecessary subscriber or contributor accounts
• Implement additional access control layers through WordPress security plugins or web application firewalls

Patch Information

At the time of publication, affected organizations should monitor the plugin's official WordPress repository and the Patchstack vulnerability database for updates regarding a security patch. Plugin versions through 1.1.5 are confirmed vulnerable.

Until a patched version is released, site administrators should implement the workarounds listed below and consider whether the plugin's functionality is essential for their WordPress installation.

Workarounds

• Temporarily deactivate and remove the Admin Login URL Change plugin if it is not critical to operations
• Implement server-level access controls (.htaccess or nginx configuration) to restrict access to WordPress admin areas
• Use a web application firewall (WAF) to add an additional authorization layer for administrative endpoints
• Restrict user registration on WordPress sites where possible, limiting the pool of potential authenticated attackers

# Example .htaccess configuration to add IP-based access control to wp-admin
# Place in WordPress root directory
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-admin [NC]
RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} !^192\.168\.1\.100$
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>