CVE-2026-25440: Essential Addons Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-25440 Overview

CVE-2026-25440 is a broken access control vulnerability in the Essential Addons for Elementor WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions prior to 6.6.0 and can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers over the network. The weakness is classified as Missing Authorization [CWE-862], indicating that the plugin fails to enforce authorization checks on one or more sensitive operations.

Successful exploitation allows remote attackers to interact with functionality intended for privileged users without supplying valid credentials. The vulnerability impacts the integrity of WordPress sites running the affected plugin versions.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network-based attackers can bypass access controls in Essential Addons for Elementor versions before 6.6.0, leading to limited integrity impact on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

Essential Addons for Elementor (Lite) plugin for WordPress
All plugin versions prior to 6.6.0
WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-15 - CVE-2026-25440 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25440

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin, a widely deployed WordPress add-on that extends Elementor with additional widgets and templates. Versions before 6.6.0 expose functionality that lacks proper authorization enforcement. Attackers can reach the affected endpoints directly over HTTP without authenticating to WordPress.

The issue maps to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization. The plugin registers handlers that perform actions on behalf of users but does not validate the caller's capability or role before executing those actions. Network-reachable WordPress installations running affected versions are exposed by default.

The limited integrity impact recorded in the advisory indicates that attackers cannot fully compromise confidentiality or availability through this flaw alone. However, the absence of authentication and user interaction requirements lowers the bar for opportunistic mass exploitation against internet-facing WordPress sites.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing capability or nonce verification on plugin actions. WordPress plugins typically gate sensitive AJAX handlers and REST endpoints with current_user_can() checks and check_ajax_referer() calls. The affected handlers in Essential Addons for Elementor omit one or both controls, allowing unauthenticated callers to invoke privileged functionality.

Attack Vector

Attackers send crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable WordPress site over the network. No authentication, user interaction, or elevated privileges are required. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context. No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed in the enriched data.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25440

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing Essential Addons action names from non-logged-in sessions.
Requests to plugin REST routes under /wp-json/ originating from external IPs without prior authentication cookies.
Unexpected modifications to plugin-managed content, templates, or settings without a corresponding administrator session in audit logs.

Detection Strategies

Inventory all WordPress sites and identify those running Essential Addons for Elementor below version 6.6.0.
Review web server access logs for high-volume or anomalous requests targeting plugin AJAX or REST endpoints from anonymous sources.
Compare installed plugin versions against the fixed release using WordPress CLI (wp plugin list) across managed environments.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to capture plugin setting and content changes with originating user context.
Forward web access logs and WordPress audit events to a centralized SIEM for correlation against plugin-specific request patterns.
Alert on unauthenticated requests to plugin endpoints that succeed with HTTP 200 responses outside of expected front-end widget rendering paths.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25440

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Essential Addons for Elementor to version 6.6.0 or later on every affected WordPress site.
Audit recently modified posts, templates, and plugin settings for unauthorized changes introduced before patching.
Restrict administrative access to the WordPress dashboard using IP allowlisting or a web application firewall while patches are deployed.

Patch Information

The vendor addressed the missing authorization checks in Essential Addons for Elementor 6.6.0. Site operators should update the plugin through the WordPress admin dashboard, WP-CLI, or a managed hosting plugin update workflow. Confirm the post-update version reports 6.6.0 or higher across all sites in the environment.

Workarounds

Temporarily deactivate the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin until the update to 6.6.0 is applied.
Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks unauthenticated requests to known vulnerable plugin AJAX actions and REST routes.
Limit access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and /wp-json/ endpoints from untrusted networks where business requirements allow.

bash

# Update Essential Addons for Elementor using WP-CLI
wp plugin update essential-addons-for-elementor-lite --version=6.6.0
wp plugin list --name=essential-addons-for-elementor-lite --fields=name,status,version