CVE-2026-24607: Travel Monster Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-24607 Overview

CVE-2026-24607 is a missing authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the WordPress Travel Monster theme by wptravelengine. The flaw stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels in versions up to and including 1.3.3. Unauthenticated attackers can reach functionality that should be restricted to authorized users. Successful exploitation produces a limited availability impact on the affected WordPress site. The vulnerability is reachable over the network without user interaction and requires no privileges, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can reach the WordPress installation.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can invoke restricted theme functionality due to missing authorization checks, producing a low availability impact on WordPress sites running Travel Monster 1.3.3 or earlier.

Affected Products

• wptravelengine Travel Monster WordPress theme — versions up to and including 1.3.3
• WordPress sites with the Travel Monster theme active
• Travel and booking sites built on the travel-monster theme

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-23 - CVE-2026-24607 published to NVD
• 2026-04-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24607

Vulnerability Analysis

The Travel Monster theme exposes one or more endpoints that perform sensitive operations without verifying the caller's authorization. The theme relies on incorrectly configured access control security levels, meaning the authorization checks are either absent or insufficient for the operations they protect. An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint and the theme processes the request as if it came from an authorized user.

The issue is classified as Missing Authorization under [CWE-862]. This category covers cases where the application performs an action without confirming the requester has the required permissions. In WordPress themes, this commonly manifests as AJAX handlers, admin-post actions, or REST routes that omit current_user_can() checks or fail to validate nonces correctly.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of a proper authorization gate on theme functionality. The theme registers callable actions but does not enforce capability checks before executing privileged operations. Access control security levels were configured at a lower tier than required for the exposed functionality.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated attacker sends a network request to the WordPress site hosting the vulnerable theme. The request targets the unprotected handler exposed by Travel Monster. No credentials, user interaction, or local access are required. The resulting impact is limited to availability — for example, manipulating theme state or triggering operations that interfere with normal site behavior.

No public proof-of-concept has been published. Technical details are available in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24607

Indicators of Compromise

• Unauthenticated HTTP POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or theme-registered REST endpoints originating from external IPs
• Unexpected modifications to theme options or site configuration without a corresponding authenticated administrator session
• Spikes in 200-status responses to theme handler actions tied to the travel-monster theme

Detection Strategies

• Inventory WordPress sites and confirm the installed version of the Travel Monster theme; flag any instance at 1.3.3 or earlier
• Review web server access logs for requests to theme-specific AJAX or REST endpoints from unauthenticated sessions
• Correlate WordPress audit logs with web traffic to identify privileged actions that lack a matching authenticated user

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging for option changes, theme actions, and REST API calls
• Forward web server, WAF, and WordPress logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and correlation
• Alert on repeated requests to theme endpoints from a single source IP across short time windows

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24607

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all WordPress sites running the Travel Monster theme and confirm the installed version
• Update Travel Monster to a release later than 1.3.3 once the vendor publishes a fixed version
• Restrict administrative and AJAX endpoints at the WAF or reverse proxy until a patched version is deployed
• Review WordPress user accounts and audit logs for evidence of unauthorized configuration changes

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, the advisory lists affected versions as n/a through <= 1.3.3. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the wptravelengine theme changelog for a fixed release and apply it across all affected sites.

Workarounds

• Deactivate the Travel Monster theme on non-production sites until a patched version is available
• Deploy WAF rules that block unauthenticated requests to theme-specific AJAX and REST endpoints
• Limit administrative URL paths such as /wp-admin/ and admin-ajax.php to known source IP ranges where feasible
• Enforce strong authentication and least-privilege roles for all WordPress users

# Example: block unauthenticated POSTs to admin-ajax targeting the theme via nginx
location = /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php {
    if ($http_cookie !~* "wordpress_logged_in_") {
        set $block_request 1;
    }
    if ($arg_action ~* "^travel_monster_") {
        set $block_request "${block_request}1";
    }
    if ($block_request = "11") {
        return 403;
    }
}