CVE-2026-57634: PPWP IDOR Authentication Bypass Flaw

CVE-2026-57634 Overview

CVE-2026-57634 is an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability affecting the Password Protect Page (PPWP) WordPress plugin in versions up to and including 1.9.19. The flaw is categorized under CWE-639 — Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key. Authenticated users with Contributor-level privileges can manipulate object identifiers to access or modify resources belonging to other users. The vulnerability requires low-privilege authentication and no user interaction, and it is reachable over the network. Exploitation results in limited integrity impact without affecting confidentiality or availability.

Critical Impact
Authenticated contributors can bypass authorization checks to reference and modify protected page objects that should be outside their access scope, undermining WordPress content access controls.

Affected Products

Password Protect Page (PPWP) WordPress plugin versions <= 1.9.19
WordPress sites using PPWP for content access restrictions
Multi-author WordPress environments with Contributor-level accounts

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-26 - CVE-2026-57634 published to NVD
2026-06-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-57634

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks on object references exposed by the PPWP plugin. When a Contributor-level user submits a request that includes an object identifier such as a post ID, page ID, or protected resource key, the plugin trusts the supplied value without validating whether the requesting user owns or has rights to that object. This allows horizontal privilege escalation across content owned by other authors and editors. The Password Protect Page plugin is designed to gate WordPress pages behind passwords, so an IDOR flaw here directly affects the plugin's core security guarantee. According to the Patchstack advisory, the affected code paths are reachable by any authenticated Contributor.

Root Cause

The root cause is a broken access control pattern classified as [CWE-639]. The plugin uses user-controlled keys, such as numeric IDs supplied in HTTP parameters, as the sole basis for locating and returning protected page data. Ownership and capability checks against the current user context are either missing or incorrectly implemented. As a result, a Contributor can iterate identifiers to reach resources belonging to other WordPress users.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an authenticated Contributor account on the target WordPress site. The attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the plugin's endpoints while substituting object identifiers in query parameters or POST bodies. Because the attack is remote and requires no user interaction, it can be automated once valid low-privilege credentials are obtained through account creation on open-registration sites or through credential compromise.

No verified public exploit code is available. The vulnerability mechanism involves substituting numeric IDs in requests to PPWP plugin endpoints to enumerate or manipulate protected pages owned by other users. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for further technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-57634

Indicators of Compromise

Contributor-level accounts issuing repeated requests to PPWP plugin endpoints with sequentially varying post_id, page_id, or similar identifier parameters
Unexpected modifications to protected page settings authored by users who do not own the affected pages
Access to protected pages in web server logs from accounts that lack Editor or Administrator capabilities

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress audit logs for Contributor accounts interacting with pages they did not author
Alert on high-frequency requests to PPWP administrative or AJAX endpoints from non-privileged users
Correlate authentication events with subsequent access to plugin-managed resources to detect enumeration behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a WordPress security audit plugin that records object-level access events for all authenticated roles
Monitor web server access logs for parameter tampering patterns targeting PPWP endpoints
Track user role assignments and flag any Contributor account performing actions typically reserved for Editors

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-57634

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade the Password Protect Page (PPWP) plugin to a version later than 1.9.19 as soon as a patched release is available
Audit all Contributor-level accounts and remove any that are inactive or unnecessary
Disable open user registration on WordPress sites that do not require it to prevent attackers from provisioning Contributor accounts

Patch Information

Consult the Patchstack advisory for the PPWP plugin for the current fixed version and vendor guidance. Apply the vendor-supplied update through the WordPress plugin management interface once released.

Workarounds

Restrict Contributor role assignments and require Editor-level privileges for users who need access to protected content workflows
Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks parameter tampering against PPWP endpoints until a patch is applied
Consider temporarily deactivating the PPWP plugin on sites with untrusted Contributor accounts if immediate patching is not possible

bash

# Configuration example: verify installed PPWP version via WP-CLI
wp plugin get password-protect-page --field=version

# Update PPWP once a patched release is published
wp plugin update password-protect-page