CVE-2026-24965: Contest Gallery Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-24965 Overview

CVE-2026-24965 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability affecting the Contest Gallery WordPress plugin developed by Wasiliy Strecker / ContestGallery. This broken access control flaw allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially gaining unauthorized access to restricted functionality or data within WordPress installations using this plugin.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can bypass authorization controls to access restricted information in Contest Gallery plugin installations.

Affected Products

• Contest Gallery WordPress Plugin versions through 28.1.1
• WordPress installations using vulnerable Contest Gallery plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-03 - CVE CVE-2026-24965 published to NVD
• 2026-02-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24965

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks (CWE-862) in the Contest Gallery WordPress plugin. The flaw allows authenticated users with minimal privileges to access functionality or data that should be restricted to higher-privileged users such as administrators.

The vulnerability requires network access and low-privilege authentication to exploit, but does not require user interaction. When successfully exploited, attackers can gain unauthorized read access to confidential information, though the vulnerability does not directly enable data modification or service disruption.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-24965 is the absence of proper authorization validation in the Contest Gallery plugin's access control implementation. The plugin fails to verify that authenticated users have the appropriate permission levels before granting access to certain functionality. This is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), where a product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, meaning exploitation can occur remotely over the internet. An attacker must first obtain valid low-privilege credentials on the target WordPress installation. Once authenticated, the attacker can craft requests that bypass the intended authorization controls in the Contest Gallery plugin.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Authenticating to the WordPress installation with a low-privilege account
2. Identifying endpoints or functions in the Contest Gallery plugin that lack proper authorization checks
3. Sending crafted requests to access restricted functionality or retrieve sensitive information
4. Extracting confidential data that should only be accessible to higher-privileged users

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24965

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected access patterns to Contest Gallery plugin endpoints from low-privilege users
• Unauthorized data access attempts in WordPress audit logs
• Anomalous API requests targeting Contest Gallery functionality from authenticated sessions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress activity logs for low-privilege users accessing Contest Gallery administrative functions
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect unauthorized access patterns
• Review Contest Gallery plugin access logs for anomalous request patterns
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions to identify exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for the Contest Gallery plugin and WordPress authentication events
• Configure alerts for access attempts to administrative Contest Gallery functions by non-admin users
• Regularly audit user access patterns within WordPress and Contest Gallery plugin

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24965

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Contest Gallery plugin to a version newer than 28.1.1 when a patched version becomes available
• Review and restrict user permissions on WordPress installations using Contest Gallery
• Implement additional access control measures at the web server or WAF level
• Audit existing user accounts for unauthorized access or privilege escalation

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects Contest Gallery plugin versions through 28.1.1. Organizations should monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Database Entry for updates on patched versions and apply security updates as soon as they become available.

Workarounds

• Restrict Contest Gallery plugin access to trusted administrators only until a patch is available
• Implement additional server-level access controls to limit requests to vulnerable endpoints
• Consider temporarily disabling the Contest Gallery plugin if it is not business-critical
• Use a Web Application Firewall to add an additional authorization layer for sensitive plugin functions

# WordPress configuration - restrict plugin access via .htaccess
# Add to wp-content/plugins/contest-gallery/.htaccess
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-content/plugins/contest-gallery/
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE} !wordpress_logged_in.*admin
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ - [F,L]
</IfModule>