CVE-2026-25026: TLP Team Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-25026 Overview

A Missing Authorization vulnerability has been identified in the RadiusTheme Team plugin (tlp-team) for WordPress. This Broken Access Control vulnerability allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized access to protected functionality within the plugin.

Critical Impact

Attackers can bypass authorization checks to access or modify team member data and plugin settings without proper authentication, potentially compromising site integrity and exposing sensitive information.

Affected Products

• RadiusTheme Team plugin (tlp-team) versions through 5.0.11
• WordPress installations using affected plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-25 - CVE CVE-2026-25026 published to NVD
• 2026-03-25 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25026

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), a weakness category that occurs when software does not perform any authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In the context of the tlp-team WordPress plugin, certain functionality lacks proper permission verification, allowing users with insufficient privileges to execute restricted operations.

The vulnerability enables attackers to bypass the intended access control mechanisms within the Team plugin. WordPress plugins typically rely on capability checks using functions like current_user_can() to verify that users have appropriate permissions before allowing access to administrative functions. When these checks are missing or improperly implemented, any authenticated user—or potentially unauthenticated visitors—can access functionality meant only for administrators.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of proper authorization verification in one or more plugin functions. The tlp-team plugin fails to validate user capabilities before processing requests to sensitive endpoints or executing privileged operations. This missing authorization check allows attackers to directly access protected functionality by crafting requests to vulnerable endpoints.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability involves sending crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints. An attacker can exploit this by:

1. Identifying endpoints within the tlp-team plugin that lack authorization checks
2. Crafting requests that directly invoke these unprotected functions
3. Executing privileged operations such as modifying team member entries, accessing configuration data, or potentially injecting malicious content

Since the vulnerability relates to broken access control, exploitation may be possible by authenticated users with minimal privileges (such as subscribers) or potentially by unauthenticated users depending on the specific implementation flaw. For detailed technical information, refer to the Patchstack security advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25026

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modifications to team member entries or plugin settings without corresponding administrator actions
• Unusual HTTP requests to tlp-team plugin endpoints from low-privileged or unauthenticated sessions
• Access log entries showing direct requests to plugin AJAX handlers or REST API endpoints without proper authentication
• Changes to plugin configuration or content that cannot be attributed to authorized administrators

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress access logs for unusual request patterns targeting /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with tlp-team related actions
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block unauthorized access attempts to plugin endpoints
• Review user activity logs for privilege escalation attempts or unauthorized content modifications
• Enable WordPress debug logging to capture failed authorization checks

Monitoring Recommendations

• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity XDR for real-time endpoint monitoring and threat detection
• Configure alerting for unauthorized access attempts to WordPress admin functionality
• Regularly audit plugin activity logs and user permission changes
• Implement file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized modifications to plugin files

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25026

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the tlp-team plugin to a patched version beyond 5.0.11 when available from RadiusTheme
• Review and restrict user roles and capabilities within WordPress to minimize attack surface
• Implement additional authorization controls at the server or WAF level
• Audit existing team member entries and plugin settings for unauthorized modifications
• Consider temporarily deactivating the plugin if updates are not yet available and functionality is not critical

Patch Information

A security patch addressing this vulnerability should be obtained directly from RadiusTheme. Users should update the tlp-team plugin to the latest available version that addresses this broken access control issue. Monitor the Patchstack vulnerability database and the official WordPress plugin repository for update notifications.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to WordPress admin areas using .htaccess rules or web server configuration
• Implement IP-based access controls for administrative endpoints
• Use a security plugin with capability hardening features to enforce stricter authorization checks
• Limit user registration and ensure only trusted users have accounts on the WordPress installation

# Example .htaccess restriction for WordPress admin (place in wp-admin directory)
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^(.*)?wp-admin$
    RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} !^192\.168\.1\.100$
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ - [R=403,L]
</IfModule>