CVE-2026-25398: Vertex Addons Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-25398 Overview

CVE-2026-25398 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability discovered in Webilia Inc's Vertex Addons for Elementor plugin for WordPress. This Broken Access Control flaw allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized modifications to WordPress sites using the affected plugin. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization checks (CWE-862), which allows authenticated users with minimal privileges to perform actions that should be restricted to higher-privileged users.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can bypass authorization controls to perform unauthorized actions on WordPress sites, potentially leading to content manipulation or site configuration changes.

Affected Products

• Vertex Addons for Elementor versions up to and including 1.6.4
• WordPress installations with the addons-for-elementor-builder plugin installed
• All Elementor-based sites utilizing vulnerable Vertex Addons features

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-25 - CVE-2026-25398 published to NVD
• 2026-03-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25398

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as a Missing Authorization flaw (CWE-862), which occurs when the WordPress plugin fails to properly verify that a user has the necessary permissions before allowing access to protected functionality. The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means attackers can exploit it remotely through standard HTTP requests to the WordPress installation.

The vulnerability requires low-level authentication (such as a subscriber or contributor account), but once authenticated, the attacker can bypass access control mechanisms to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators or editors. The primary impact is to data integrity, as attackers can make unauthorized modifications without affecting system availability or data confidentiality.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-25398 lies in the inadequate implementation of authorization checks within the Vertex Addons for Elementor plugin. The plugin fails to validate user capabilities before executing privileged operations, allowing any authenticated user to access functionality intended for higher-privileged roles.

In WordPress plugins, proper authorization typically requires checking user capabilities using functions like current_user_can() before performing sensitive operations. The vulnerable code path in Vertex Addons for Elementor appears to skip or inadequately implement these checks, creating a Broken Access Control condition.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring the attacker to have low-level authenticated access to the WordPress site. The exploitation flow typically involves:

1. The attacker authenticates to the WordPress site with a low-privilege account (e.g., subscriber)
2. The attacker crafts requests to plugin endpoints that should require elevated privileges
3. Due to missing authorization checks, the plugin processes these requests without validating user capabilities
4. The attacker successfully performs unauthorized actions such as modifying plugin settings or content

Since no user interaction is required and the attack complexity is low, this vulnerability can be reliably exploited by any attacker with valid low-level credentials. For detailed technical information, see the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25398

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modifications to Elementor page content or layouts by non-admin users
• Audit log entries showing subscriber or contributor accounts accessing admin-level plugin functions
• Unusual activity patterns from authenticated users with limited roles
• Configuration changes to Vertex Addons for Elementor without corresponding admin actions

Detection Strategies

• Implement WordPress activity logging plugins to track plugin-related actions by user role
• Monitor HTTP requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and /wp-json/ endpoints associated with Elementor addons
• Review user activity logs for accounts performing actions beyond their assigned role capabilities
• Set up alerts for configuration changes to the Vertex Addons for Elementor plugin

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive WordPress audit logging with plugins like WP Activity Log
• Configure log aggregation to capture and analyze HTTP requests to WordPress admin endpoints
• Implement SIEM rules to detect privilege escalation patterns in WordPress environments
• Regularly audit user roles and capabilities to identify potential abuse

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25398

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Vertex Addons for Elementor to a version beyond 1.6.4 when a patch becomes available
• Review and restrict user account provisioning to minimize unnecessary authenticated accounts
• Audit existing user accounts and remove or limit privileges for unused or unnecessary accounts
• Implement additional server-level access controls as a defense-in-depth measure

Patch Information

Organizations should monitor the official WordPress plugin repository and Patchstack Vulnerability Report for security updates to the Vertex Addons for Elementor plugin. Until an official patch is released, consider implementing the workarounds below to reduce exposure.

Workarounds

• Temporarily disable the Vertex Addons for Elementor plugin if not critical to site functionality
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to restrict access to vulnerable plugin endpoints
• Limit user registration and revoke credentials for untrusted subscriber/contributor accounts
• Use a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri to add additional authorization layers

# Configuration example: Restrict access to WordPress admin-ajax.php by IP
# Add to .htaccess in WordPress root directory
<Files "admin-ajax.php">
    <RequireAny>
        Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
        Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
    </RequireAny>
</Files>