CVE-2026-25416: News Kit Elementor Addons Auth Bypass

CVE-2026-25416 Overview

CVE-2026-25416 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the blazethemes News Kit Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.4.2. Attackers exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to perform actions reserved for higher-privileged users. The vulnerability requires low-privilege authentication and no user interaction, and it can be triggered remotely over the network. According to the CVSS vector, the impact is limited to integrity, with no direct effect on confidentiality or availability.

Critical Impact

Authenticated low-privilege users can invoke plugin functionality that lacks proper authorization checks, leading to unauthorized modifications within affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

• blazethemes News Kit Elementor Addons (news-kit-elementor-addons) for WordPress
• All versions from initial release through 1.4.2
• WordPress sites running the plugin with low-privilege authenticated user access enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-19 - CVE-2026-25416 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25416

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks in plugin endpoints. The plugin exposes functionality through WordPress AJAX or REST routes but fails to validate that the requesting user holds the required capability. Authenticated users with low privileges, such as Subscribers, can invoke these endpoints and trigger actions intended for administrators or editors.

The issue maps to [CWE-862: Missing Authorization]. The plugin likely registers callbacks without current_user_can() capability checks or with insufficient nonce-plus-capability validation. Authentication alone is verified, but role-based authorization is not enforced before the action runs.

Exploitation impacts site integrity. Attackers can alter plugin settings, content, or configuration data exposed by vulnerable handlers. The CVSS vector indicates no confidentiality or availability impact, narrowing the practical risk to data modification within the scope of the plugin's functionality.

Root Cause

The root cause is incorrectly configured access control. Plugin action handlers do not verify user capabilities before executing privileged operations. Any authenticated session is treated as authorized.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to the target WordPress site using any low-privilege account, including self-registered Subscriber accounts on sites with open registration. The attacker then sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. The plugin processes the request without validating role or capability, completing the privileged action.

No exploit code or public proof-of-concept is currently published for CVE-2026-25416. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for further technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25416

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected POST requests from low-privilege user sessions to admin-ajax.php referencing news-kit-elementor-addons actions
• Modifications to plugin settings, widget data, or Elementor templates without a corresponding administrator login
• New or altered content tied to user accounts that lack editorial roles

Detection Strategies

• Audit WordPress access logs for AJAX or REST calls to plugin endpoints originating from Subscriber-level accounts
• Compare plugin option values in wp_options against known-good baselines to identify unauthorized changes
• Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to capture role-to-action mismatches

Monitoring Recommendations

• Alert on HTTP 200 responses to plugin action endpoints when the requesting user role is below Editor
• Monitor for spikes in new user registrations followed shortly by authenticated requests to plugin handlers
• Track changes to Elementor-managed content and plugin-managed widgets in version control or audit logs

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25416

Immediate Actions Required

• Update News Kit Elementor Addons to a version later than 1.4.2 once the vendor publishes a fix
• Disable the plugin if a patched release is not yet available and the functionality is non-essential
• Restrict user registration and review existing low-privilege accounts for legitimacy

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, the affected version range is documented as n/a through <= 1.4.2. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the official blazethemes plugin page for the latest patched release and upgrade instructions.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks unauthenticated and low-privilege requests to news-kit-elementor-addons AJAX and REST endpoints
• Disable open user registration in WordPress general settings to reduce the pool of potential attackers
• Remove or deactivate the plugin until the vendor releases a fixed version

# Configuration example: WordPress hardening to reduce exposure
wp option update users_can_register 0
wp plugin deactivate news-kit-elementor-addons