CVE-2026-49052: ElementsKit Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-49052 Overview

CVE-2026-49052 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the Wpmet ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to perform actions that should be restricted. The issue affects all versions of ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite up to and including 3.9.6. An attacker can exploit this flaw over the network with low privileges and no user interaction.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low-privilege accounts can bypass access control checks in ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite, leading to unauthorized integrity impact on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

Wpmet ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite (WordPress plugin)
All versions from n/a through 3.9.6
WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-27 - CVE CVE-2026-49052 published to NVD
2026-05-27 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-49052

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified as Missing Authorization [CWE-862] in the ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite plugin. The plugin exposes functionality that fails to verify whether the requesting user holds the appropriate role or capability before executing privileged actions. An authenticated attacker with a low-privilege WordPress account, such as a Subscriber or Contributor, can invoke restricted operations through the plugin's endpoints.

Because the attack vector is network-based and the attack complexity is low, exploitation requires only a valid session and standard HTTP requests. The vulnerability impacts integrity but does not directly affect confidentiality or availability. Successful exploitation can allow attackers to modify plugin-controlled data or trigger administrative-tier actions outside their privilege scope.

Root Cause

The root cause is incorrectly configured access control security levels within the plugin's request handlers. The plugin fails to enforce capability checks such as current_user_can() or to validate nonces consistently before processing sensitive actions. This omission allows any authenticated user to reach code paths intended only for administrators.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to the target WordPress site with any low-privilege account. The attacker then issues crafted requests to vulnerable plugin endpoints exposed by ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite. Because authorization checks are missing or incomplete, the server processes the requests as if they were submitted by a privileged user. No exploit code or proof-of-concept is publicly available at the time of publication. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-49052

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected POST or AJAX requests to ElementsKit plugin endpoints (paths containing elementskit or admin-ajax.php with ElementsKit action parameters) originating from non-administrative user sessions.
Modifications to WordPress options, widgets, or plugin-managed settings performed by accounts with Subscriber or Contributor roles.
Spikes in authenticated traffic from a single IP targeting /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with ElementsKit-related action values.

Detection Strategies

Audit WordPress access logs for requests to ElementsKit endpoints correlated with low-privilege user IDs.
Compare current plugin configuration and widget data against known-good baselines to identify unauthorized modifications.
Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to record capability-sensitive actions and flag executions by non-admin accounts.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables for unexpected role changes or new low-privilege account registrations preceding plugin activity.
Alert on outbound HTTP requests or file modifications in wp-content/plugins/elementskit-lite/ that occur outside scheduled maintenance windows.
Track plugin version installations across managed WordPress fleets to identify hosts still running ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite 3.9.6 or earlier.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-49052

Immediate Actions Required

Update ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite to a version later than 3.9.6 once the vendor releases a patched build.
Restrict new user registrations on WordPress sites where self-registration is not required, reducing the pool of accounts that could exploit the flaw.
Review existing low-privilege accounts and remove or disable any that are unused or suspicious.

Patch Information

Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest fixed version information. The advisory tracks vendor-released patches for ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite versions through 3.9.6.

Workarounds

Temporarily deactivate the ElementsKit Elementor addons Lite plugin on affected sites until a patched version is installed.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block unauthenticated and low-privilege requests targeting ElementsKit AJAX actions.
Enforce least-privilege role assignments and disable open registration in Settings > General of the WordPress admin dashboard.

bash

# Configuration example: disable open registration and audit ElementsKit usage via WP-CLI
wp option update users_can_register 0
wp plugin list --name=elementskit-lite --fields=name,status,version
wp plugin deactivate elementskit-lite