CVE-2026-7459: CWE-640 Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password in eskapism Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes
The Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authenticated (Subscriber+) account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 5.26.0 via the event reaction endpoints (react_to_event() / unreact_to_event()). The endpoints register get_items_permissions_check() as their permission_callback, which only verifies the requester is logged in and does not enforce the per-logger capability checks normally applied by Log_Query. As a result, a Subscriber-level user can POST to /wp-json/simple-history/v1/events/<id>/react with the _fields=context query parameter and read the full context of any Simple History event — including SimpleUserLogger entries that record the full password-reset email body (reset URL with the reset key) for any user. The attacker triggers a password reset for an administrator via the lost-password form, brute-forces recent event IDs through the reaction endpoint to read the resulting user_requested_password_reset_link event, extracts the reset key from context.message, and completes the password reset to take over the administrator account. Exploitation requires an administrator to have first enabled the experimental features option (simple_history_experimental_features_enabled), which is not the default.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes plugin suffers from a weak password recovery mechanism (CWE-640) due to insufficient permission checks on its event reaction REST API endpoints. These endpoints use a permission callback that only verifies if the user is logged in, without enforcing per-logger capability checks. As a result, a Subscriber-level user can access sensitive event data, including password reset emails containing reset URLs and keys. By initiating a password reset for an administrator and enumerating event IDs, an attacker can extract the reset key from logged events and complete the password reset process, leading to administrator account takeover. This vulnerability requires the experimental features option to be enabled, which is not the default setting.
Potential Impact
An attacker with a Subscriber-level account can escalate privileges to administrator by exploiting the weak permission checks on the plugin's event reaction endpoints. This leads to full compromise of the administrator account, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts as indicated by the CVSS vector (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability affects all plugin versions up to 5.26.0 where the experimental features option is enabled.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, administrators should ensure that the experimental features option (simple_history_experimental_features_enabled) remains disabled, as it is not enabled by default. Restricting Subscriber-level access or disabling the plugin may also reduce risk. Monitor vendor communications for official patches or updates.
CVE-2026-7459: CWE-640 Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password in eskapism Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes
Description
The Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authenticated (Subscriber+) account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 5.26.0 via the event reaction endpoints (react_to_event() / unreact_to_event()). The endpoints register get_items_permissions_check() as their permission_callback, which only verifies the requester is logged in and does not enforce the per-logger capability checks normally applied by Log_Query. As a result, a Subscriber-level user can POST to /wp-json/simple-history/v1/events/<id>/react with the _fields=context query parameter and read the full context of any Simple History event — including SimpleUserLogger entries that record the full password-reset email body (reset URL with the reset key) for any user. The attacker triggers a password reset for an administrator via the lost-password form, brute-forces recent event IDs through the reaction endpoint to read the resulting user_requested_password_reset_link event, extracts the reset key from context.message, and completes the password reset to take over the administrator account. Exploitation requires an administrator to have first enabled the experimental features option (simple_history_experimental_features_enabled), which is not the default.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.5high
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes plugin suffers from a weak password recovery mechanism (CWE-640) due to insufficient permission checks on its event reaction REST API endpoints. These endpoints use a permission callback that only verifies if the user is logged in, without enforcing per-logger capability checks. As a result, a Subscriber-level user can access sensitive event data, including password reset emails containing reset URLs and keys. By initiating a password reset for an administrator and enumerating event IDs, an attacker can extract the reset key from logged events and complete the password reset process, leading to administrator account takeover. This vulnerability requires the experimental features option to be enabled, which is not the default setting.
Potential Impact
An attacker with a Subscriber-level account can escalate privileges to administrator by exploiting the weak permission checks on the plugin's event reaction endpoints. This leads to full compromise of the administrator account, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts as indicated by the CVSS vector (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability affects all plugin versions up to 5.26.0 where the experimental features option is enabled.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, administrators should ensure that the experimental features option (simple_history_experimental_features_enabled) remains disabled, as it is not enabled by default. Restricting Subscriber-level access or disabling the plugin may also reduce risk. Monitor vendor communications for official patches or updates.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- Wordfence
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-29T18:01:43.775Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a1ab2aee29bf47b5015dfa7
Added to database: 5/30/2026, 9:49:34 AM
Last enriched: 5/30/2026, 10:03:39 AM
Last updated: 5/31/2026, 2:09:41 AM
Views: 20
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