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

CVE-2026-25416 Overview

CVE-2026-25416 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) affecting the News Kit Elementor Addons WordPress plugin developed by blazethemes. This broken access control vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized modifications to plugin functionality or data.

The vulnerability stems from missing capability checks on sensitive plugin functions, allowing low-privileged users to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators or editors.

Critical Impact

Authenticated users with minimal privileges can bypass authorization checks to modify plugin settings or data, potentially affecting site content and configuration managed through the News Kit Elementor Addons plugin.

Affected Products

• News Kit Elementor Addons plugin versions through 1.4.2
• WordPress installations with the news-kit-elementor-addons plugin installed
• Sites using Elementor page builder with the News Kit addon

Discovery Timeline

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

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25416

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as a Broken Access Control issue (CWE-862: Missing Authorization). The News Kit Elementor Addons plugin fails to properly implement authorization checks on one or more of its AJAX handlers or administrative functions.

In WordPress plugin development, sensitive actions must verify that the requesting user has appropriate capabilities (such as manage_options or edit_posts) before executing privileged operations. When these checks are missing or improperly implemented, lower-privileged authenticated users—such as subscribers or contributors—can invoke functions intended only for administrators.

The attack requires network access and authentication with at least subscriber-level credentials. While the vulnerability does not directly enable data exfiltration (confidentiality impact is none) or cause denial of service (availability impact is none), it does allow unauthorized modification of plugin-controlled content or settings (integrity impact is low).

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of proper capability checks (current_user_can()) and nonce verification on protected plugin endpoints. WordPress plugins should validate both that a request contains a valid nonce token and that the authenticated user possesses the required capabilities before processing sensitive operations.

Without these checks, the plugin processes requests from any authenticated user regardless of their assigned role, violating the principle of least privilege.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring an authenticated session with the WordPress installation. An attacker would:

1. Create or compromise a low-privileged user account (subscriber level is sufficient)
2. Identify the vulnerable AJAX action or endpoint within the News Kit Elementor Addons plugin
3. Craft a malicious request to the vulnerable endpoint
4. Submit the request to modify plugin settings, content, or configuration

Since no exploit code is publicly available for this vulnerability, the technical details should be reviewed in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for specific affected functions and attack patterns.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25416

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to News Kit Elementor widget configurations or templates
• Plugin settings modified without corresponding administrator activity
• Suspicious AJAX requests to admin-ajax.php with News Kit Elementor-related action parameters from non-admin users
• Audit log entries showing low-privileged users accessing administrative plugin functions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress audit logs for unauthorized access attempts to plugin administrative functions
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect anomalous AJAX requests targeting the News Kit Elementor Addons plugin
• Review user activity logs for subscriber or contributor accounts performing unexpected administrative actions
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity XDR for endpoint-level detection of suspicious web application behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive WordPress activity logging with plugins such as WP Activity Log
• Configure alerts for plugin setting changes not initiated by administrator accounts
• Monitor wp-admin/admin-ajax.php access patterns for anomalies
• Review installed plugin versions regularly against vulnerability databases

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25416

Immediate Actions Required

• Update News Kit Elementor Addons to a version newer than 1.4.2 when a patched version becomes available
• Audit current user accounts and remove unnecessary subscriber or contributor privileges
• Review recent plugin configuration changes for unauthorized modifications
• Consider temporarily deactivating the plugin if no patch is available and the functionality is non-essential

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects News Kit Elementor Addons versions through 1.4.2. Site administrators should monitor the WordPress plugin repository and the Patchstack advisory for patch release announcements from blazethemes.

To update the plugin:

1. Navigate to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins
2. Locate "News Kit Elementor Addons"
3. Apply the update when available, or manually upload the patched version

Workarounds

• Restrict user registration to prevent untrusted users from obtaining authenticated access
• Implement additional access control at the web server or WAF level to restrict AJAX endpoint access
• Use a WordPress security plugin to add capability checks and monitor for unauthorized access attempts
• Consider role-based access control hardening to limit subscriber and contributor capabilities

# WordPress configuration hardening example
# Add to wp-config.php to disable user registration if not needed
define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);

# Review and restrict user capabilities in functions.php
# Note: Consult vendor documentation for specific endpoint restrictions