CVE-2026-65433 Overview
CVE-2026-65433 is a broken access control vulnerability in the RT Mega Menu – Mega Menu Builder for Elementor & Gutenberg plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 1.5.1. Authenticated users with subscriber-level privileges can bypass authorization checks and perform actions restricted to higher-privileged roles. The vulnerability maps to CWE-862: Missing Authorization and allows integrity impact on affected WordPress sites.
Critical Impact
Any authenticated subscriber can perform privileged actions in the RT Mega Menu plugin, enabling unauthorized modification of menu content and plugin configuration on affected WordPress sites.
Affected Products
- RT Mega Menu – Mega Menu Builder for Elementor & Gutenberg WordPress plugin
- Versions 1.5.1 and earlier
- WordPress sites permitting subscriber-level registration
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-07-27 - CVE-2026-65433 published to NVD
- 2026-07-27 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-65433
Vulnerability Analysis
The RT Mega Menu plugin exposes plugin functionality through WordPress AJAX or REST endpoints without adequate capability checks. Users authenticated at the subscriber role, the lowest privileged WordPress role, can invoke handlers intended for administrators or editors. This constitutes a broken access control condition where authentication is verified but authorization is not enforced.
The attack requires an existing account on the target WordPress instance. Sites that allow open registration or comment-based subscriber accounts present the largest exposed footprint. Successful exploitation impacts data integrity by allowing unauthorized changes to menu configurations managed by the plugin.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing authorization logic in one or more plugin request handlers, categorized under CWE-862. Handlers verify that a request comes from a logged-in user but fail to call WordPress capability checks such as current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) before executing sensitive operations. As a result, capability enforcement is absent for privileged plugin actions.
Attack Vector
The vulnerability is exploitable over the network by an attacker holding valid subscriber credentials. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own session. The attacker sends crafted requests to plugin AJAX or REST endpoints and receives the effect of a privileged action. See the PatchStack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.
No verified public exploit code is available at the time of writing. The vulnerability class is well understood and trivially reproducible once endpoint names are known.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-65433
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modifications to WordPress menu structures created or managed by RT Mega Menu
- HTTP POST requests to admin-ajax.php with RT Mega Menu action parameters originating from subscriber-level user sessions
- REST API calls to plugin-specific routes from accounts that should not have management privileges
- New or modified plugin options in the wp_options table associated with RT Mega Menu
Detection Strategies
- Audit WordPress access logs for AJAX and REST requests targeting RT Mega Menu endpoints originating from low-privilege user IDs
- Review recent subscriber account registrations followed by plugin-related HTTP activity
- Compare current plugin option values in the database against a known-good baseline to identify unauthorized changes
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging to capture role-based action attempts and plugin configuration changes
- Monitor the plugin version deployed across all WordPress sites and flag installations at 1.5.1 or earlier
- Alert on spikes in admin-ajax.php traffic from newly created subscriber accounts
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-65433
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the RT Mega Menu plugin to a version later than 1.5.1 once the vendor publishes a patched release
- Audit and disable unnecessary subscriber accounts, particularly those created recently on sites with open registration
- Restrict WordPress user registration to trusted sources if the site does not require public signups
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no fixed version is referenced in the NVD entry. Site operators should monitor the PatchStack advisory and the plugin's WordPress.org page for a release addressing this issue. Apply updates promptly once available.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the RT Mega Menu plugin until a patched version is available if the site relies on subscriber registration
- Deploy a web application firewall rule blocking requests to RT Mega Menu AJAX and REST endpoints from non-administrator sessions
- Disable open user registration via WordPress General Settings by unchecking Anyone can register
- Enforce strong role separation and remove unused custom roles that may inherit unintended capabilities
# Disable open registration via WP-CLI
wp option update users_can_register 0
# List and remove suspicious subscriber accounts
wp user list --role=subscriber --field=ID,user_login,user_registered
wp user delete <user_id> --reassign=1
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
