CVE-2026-27351: Crew HRM Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-27351 Overview

CVE-2026-27351 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the Sekander Badsha Crew HRM plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels in the plugin's request handlers. Authenticated users with low privileges can invoke functionality that should be restricted to higher-privileged roles. The vulnerability affects Crew HRM versions up to and including 1.2.2.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low privileges can bypass access control checks to access or modify human resources data managed by the plugin.

Affected Products

Sekander Badsha Crew HRM WordPress plugin
All versions from n/a through 1.2.2
WordPress sites running the hr-management plugin

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-02 - CVE-2026-27351 published to NVD
2026-06-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-27351

Vulnerability Analysis

The Crew HRM plugin exposes administrative actions through endpoints that lack proper capability checks. The plugin relies on incorrectly configured access control security levels, meaning the code verifies that a user is authenticated but does not verify whether the user holds the role required for the requested operation. Any authenticated WordPress user, including subscribers, can therefore invoke endpoints intended for HR managers or administrators.

The attack vector is the network. Exploitation requires low privileges and no user interaction. Successful exploitation impacts the integrity and availability of HR data managed by the plugin, while confidentiality impact is rated as none in the CVSS vector. The Patchstack advisory classifies the issue as a broken access control flaw.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing authorization logic [CWE-862]. The plugin does not call current_user_can() or an equivalent capability check before executing privileged operations. Authentication state is treated as sufficient authorization, violating the principle of least privilege.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to WordPress with any low-privilege account, including a self-registered subscriber on sites that allow open registration. The attacker then sends crafted HTTP requests directly to the plugin's AJAX or REST endpoints. Because the endpoints do not verify the caller's role, the requested HR operation executes with the privileges of the plugin handler. No exploit code is publicly available at this time, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-27351

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected modifications to HR records, employee profiles, or attendance data created by low-privilege WordPress accounts.
HTTP POST requests from subscriber-level users to Crew HRM AJAX actions under wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or plugin REST routes.
New or modified employee entries with timestamps that do not correlate with administrative session activity.

Detection Strategies

Audit WordPress access logs for requests to hr-management plugin endpoints originating from non-administrator accounts.
Enable WordPress action logging to capture which user role triggered each plugin action and flag role mismatches.
Review database changes to Crew HRM tables and correlate them against the acting user's capabilities.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized log platform and alert on plugin endpoint access by low-privilege roles.
Monitor for new user registrations followed quickly by requests to plugin admin endpoints, a common pattern for authorization abuse.
Track plugin version inventory across WordPress sites to identify hosts still running Crew HRM 1.2.2 or earlier.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-27351

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Crew HRM plugin to a version later than 1.2.2 as soon as a fixed release is available from the vendor.
Disable the Crew HRM plugin on production WordPress sites until a patched version can be installed.
Restrict WordPress user registration and review all existing low-privilege accounts for legitimacy.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the Patchstack advisory lists Crew HRM versions through 1.2.2 as affected and does not identify a fixed release. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin page for an updated version that adds capability checks to the affected endpoints.

Workarounds

Place the WordPress admin area and admin-ajax.php behind an IP allowlist or web application firewall rule that blocks subscriber-level access to plugin endpoints.
Set the default_role in wp-config.php or General Settings to a role lower than subscriber, or disable open registration entirely.
Use a WordPress role-management plugin to remove unused capabilities from low-privilege roles until a patched plugin version is deployed.

bash

# Disable open user registration in WordPress via WP-CLI
wp option update users_can_register 0

# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin until a fix is released
wp plugin deactivate hr-management