CVE-2026-82220: Forminator Unauthenticated Vulnerability

CVE-2026-82220 Overview

CVE-2026-82220 affects the Forminator WordPress plugin in versions up to and including 1.57.1. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-294] Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay, indicating that authentication controls in the plugin can be circumvented by replaying captured authentication material. The flaw is exploitable without authentication over the network, requiring no user interaction. According to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report, the issue impacts integrity of the WordPress site while leaving confidentiality and availability unaffected.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can bypass an authentication check in Forminator versions <= 1.57.1 by replaying captured data, resulting in low integrity impact on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

Forminator WordPress plugin versions <= 1.57.1
WordPress sites with Forminator installed and activated
Any deployment relying on Forminator form submissions or authentication workflows

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-28 - CVE-2026-82220 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-08-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-82220

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is categorized as an authentication weakness in the Forminator WordPress plugin, a widely used form-building tool. The Common Weakness Enumeration mapping [CWE-294] identifies the flaw as Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay. In this class of weakness, an attacker intercepts or obtains authentication data such as tokens, nonces, or request payloads and resubmits them to gain access or execute actions that should require fresh authentication.

The advisory classifies the impact as limited to integrity, meaning an attacker cannot directly read sensitive data or disrupt availability through this issue alone. The network-accessible, no-privilege, no-interaction profile means the attack surface is broadly exposed to any internet-facing WordPress site running a vulnerable version. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional context.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient protection against replay of authentication material within Forminator request handling. Applications susceptible to [CWE-294] typically fail to bind authentication artifacts to a single-use nonce, timestamp, or session context. Without such binding, an attacker who observes a valid request can resend the same payload to trigger the associated action.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated attacker on the network sends crafted HTTP requests to the WordPress endpoints exposed by Forminator. By replaying previously captured authentication data, the attacker performs actions that the plugin treats as authorized. No user interaction and no prior credentials are required. Public exploit code is not currently listed for this identifier, and the vulnerability is not present on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

No verified proof-of-concept code has been published for CVE-2026-82220. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for vendor-supplied technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-82220

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated identical POST requests to Forminator endpoints under /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or /wp-json/ originating from the same or different source IP addresses.
Form submissions or authentication-related actions that reuse the same nonce or token value across multiple requests.
Unexpected changes in WordPress content, form submissions, or plugin state without corresponding administrator activity.

Detection Strategies

Inventory all WordPress installations and identify sites running Forminator <= 1.57.1 using plugin version scanners or the WordPress REST API.
Enable verbose web server and application logging for Forminator endpoints, capturing full request headers, bodies, and source addresses.
Correlate replayed request patterns using web application firewall (WAF) analytics or SIEM detection rules focused on nonce and token reuse.

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest WordPress access logs and PHP error logs into a centralized analytics platform for anomaly detection across form submission activity.
Alert on bursts of requests to Forminator handler URLs, particularly those carrying identical authentication tokens within short time windows.
Monitor outbound calls and configuration changes originating from WordPress hosts to detect follow-on activity after successful exploitation.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-82220

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress instances with Forminator installed and confirm the installed version against 1.57.1.
Upgrade Forminator to the fixed release published by the vendor as referenced in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.
Review Forminator submission logs and administrative activity for signs of replayed requests during the exposure window.

Patch Information

The upstream advisory from Patchstack tracks the vulnerable range as Forminator <= 1.57.1. Administrators should apply the vendor-provided patched version referenced in the advisory. Verify the update through the WordPress plugin manager and confirm the reported version after upgrade.

Workarounds

If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to Forminator endpoints using a web application firewall rule that enforces single-use nonces and short-lived tokens.
Disable or deactivate the Forminator plugin on sites where forms are not actively required until the update can be applied.
Rotate any secrets, API keys, or session tokens that may have been exposed through Forminator-integrated workflows.

bash

# Example WP-CLI commands to check version and update Forminator
wp plugin list --name=forminator --fields=name,status,version
wp plugin update forminator
wp plugin get forminator --field=version