CVE-2026-7620 Overview
CVE-2026-7620 is an authorization bypass vulnerability in the Notification for Telegram plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 3.5.1. The plugin fails to verify that a user is authorized to invoke certain actions, exposing WordPress cron event management to low-privileged accounts. Authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access or higher can create, modify, or reschedule the nftb_cron_hook WordPress cron event. This allows unauthorized manipulation of the plugin's background task scheduling logic. The issue is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on July 11, 2026.
Critical Impact
Subscriber-level users can manipulate the plugin's cron scheduling, disrupting notification delivery and interfering with the integrity of scheduled background tasks on affected WordPress sites.
Affected Products
- Notification for Telegram plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 3.5.1
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin with open subscriber registration
- The vulnerable code paths reside in include/nftncron.php
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-07-11 - CVE-2026-7620 published to NVD
- 2026-07-13 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-7620
Vulnerability Analysis
The Notification for Telegram plugin exposes WordPress actions that manage the nftb_cron_hook cron event without verifying the requesting user's role or capability. Any authenticated user, including subscribers, can invoke these actions and reach the cron management logic in include/nftncron.php. The affected code paths at lines 94, 122, and 126 handle the creation, modification, and rescheduling of the cron event but omit a capability check such as current_user_can().
Because WordPress cron drives the plugin's background task scheduling, attackers can force the plugin to run tasks on attacker-chosen intervals or suppress legitimate scheduled runs. The vulnerability does not directly grant code execution or data disclosure, but it degrades the integrity of the plugin's scheduling behavior and can be chained with other weaknesses in a multi-plugin environment.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing authorization check [CWE-862]. The plugin registers action handlers that operate on the nftb_cron_hook event but never validate that the caller holds an administrative capability. Nonce verification alone, if present, does not substitute for capability checks, since a nonce only confirms request origin and freshness.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site and an authenticated session with subscriber privileges or higher. The attacker submits a request to the vulnerable plugin action, supplying parameters that create, alter, or reschedule the nftb_cron_hook event. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own authenticated request.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed for this issue. Verified technical details are available in the Wordfence Vulnerability Report and the WordPress Code Changeset that introduces the fix.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-7620
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected entries or altered schedules for the nftb_cron_hook event in the WordPress cron table (wp_optionscron entry).
- Requests to admin-ajax.php or plugin-specific endpoints originating from subscriber accounts that reach handlers defined in include/nftncron.php.
- Notification for Telegram tasks executing at unusual intervals or outside expected windows.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor WordPress audit logs for cron-related actions initiated by non-administrator roles.
- Inspect the serialized cron option in wp_options for unexpected nftb_cron_hook timestamps or arguments.
- Alert on POST requests to plugin action endpoints where the authenticated user role is subscriber or contributor.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress activity log plugin and forward events to a centralized SIEM for role-versus-action correlation.
- Track version drift across managed WordPress sites and flag any instance running Notification for Telegram at or below 3.5.1.
- Baseline the frequency and payload of nftb_cron_hook executions and alert on deviations.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-7620
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Notification for Telegram plugin to a version above 3.5.1 that includes the fix from the referenced WordPress code changeset.
- Audit existing WordPress cron entries and remove any unauthorized or unexpected nftb_cron_hook schedules.
- Review subscriber and low-privilege accounts, disabling any that are unused or unrecognized.
Patch Information
The fix is committed in the plugin repository as changeset 3524838. See the WordPress Code Changeset for the exact code changes that add the missing capability check. Administrators should install the latest plugin release from the WordPress plugin directory.
Workarounds
- Disable the Notification for Telegram plugin until it can be updated to a patched release.
- Restrict open user registration or limit the default role assigned to new registrants to reduce the population of accounts able to reach the vulnerable action.
- Place the WordPress admin surface behind a web application firewall that enforces role-aware access rules for plugin AJAX endpoints.
# Example: disable the vulnerable plugin from the WordPress CLI
wp plugin deactivate notification-for-telegram
wp plugin update notification-for-telegram
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
