CVE-2026-57669: Contact Form 7 DB Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2026-57669 Overview

CVE-2026-57669 is a broken access control vulnerability affecting the Advanced Contact Form 7 DB WordPress plugin in versions 2.0.9 and earlier. The flaw allows authenticated users holding only Subscriber-level privileges to access data intended for higher-privileged roles. The weakness maps to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization, meaning the plugin fails to verify user permissions before executing sensitive actions. Because contact form submissions frequently include personally identifiable information (PII), successful exploitation exposes confidential user data collected through WordPress contact forms. The vulnerability requires network access and low privileges but no user interaction.

Critical Impact
Authenticated Subscriber-level attackers can read sensitive contact form submissions stored by the plugin, leading to disclosure of PII and other confidential form data.

Affected Products

Advanced Contact Form 7 DB WordPress plugin, versions <= 2.0.9
WordPress installations with the advanced-cf7-db plugin enabled
Sites permitting Subscriber-level registration alongside the vulnerable plugin

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-02 - CVE-2026-57669 published to NVD
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-57669

Vulnerability Analysis

The Advanced Contact Form 7 DB plugin stores submissions captured through Contact Form 7 into a WordPress database table for later administrative review. The plugin exposes actions that should be restricted to administrators, but the code path fails to enforce a capability check. Any authenticated user, including the lowest-privileged Subscriber role, can invoke the affected functionality and retrieve stored submissions. This is a confidentiality-focused issue: attackers gain read access to sensitive form data without modifying integrity or availability. WordPress sites that permit open user registration are particularly exposed because attackers can self-provision the required Subscriber account before triggering the flaw.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing authorization logic [CWE-862] on plugin endpoints. The affected handlers rely on nonce or authentication checks alone and omit a current_user_can() verification against an administrative capability such as manage_options. Without that gate, the plugin treats any logged-in user as authorized to access stored submissions.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against the WordPress site. An attacker authenticates as a Subscriber and issues a request to the plugin's data-access endpoint. The server returns stored form submissions without evaluating whether the caller has permission to view them. No user interaction and no elevated privileges are required beyond the initial Subscriber login.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-57669

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected requests to admin-ajax.php or plugin REST endpoints containing advanced-cf7-db action parameters originating from Subscriber accounts.
Newly registered Subscriber accounts followed by immediate access to plugin endpoints.
Outbound exfiltration of large volumes of form submission data shortly after low-privilege authentication events.

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress access logs for authenticated non-administrative sessions invoking plugin actions tied to advanced-cf7-db.
Correlate user role metadata with endpoint usage to flag Subscriber accounts touching administrative plugin functionality.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks non-administrative roles from reaching the plugin's data-retrieval actions.

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on spikes in Subscriber account registrations that precede plugin endpoint access.
Monitor WordPress audit logs for unusual read patterns against contact form submission tables.
Track user role changes and privilege usage across the plugin surface.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-57669

Immediate Actions Required

Update Advanced Contact Form 7 DB to a version newer than 2.0.9 as soon as a patched release is available.
Disable open user registration or restrict the default new-user role until the plugin is updated.
Audit existing Subscriber accounts and remove those that are unrecognized or inactive.
Rotate any secrets or notify individuals whose submitted data may have been exposed.

Patch Information

Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the current fixed version and vendor guidance. Apply the update through the WordPress plugin dashboard or via wp-cli once released.

Workarounds

Deactivate the advanced-cf7-db plugin until an updated version is installed.
Set the WordPress default_role option to a value other than subscriber and disable users_can_register in wp-admin general settings.
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and plugin REST routes using WAF rules that enforce administrative role checks.

bash

# Configuration example: disable open registration and update the plugin via wp-cli
wp option update users_can_register 0
wp option update default_role editor
wp plugin update advanced-cf7-db
wp plugin deactivate advanced-cf7-db   # if no patched version is yet available