CVE-2026-75860: CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management in JSON Options
Description
The JSON Options WordPress plugin through 0.0.4 does not have any capability check or nonce verification on one of its actions, which runs on every request and is available to unauthenticated users, allowing them to update arbitrary WordPress options. This can be leveraged to enable user registration and set the default role to administrator, leading to privilege escalation and full site takeover.
CVSS v3.1
Score 9.8critical
Affected software
JSON Options
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-75860 describes an improper privilege management vulnerability (CWE-269) in the JSON Options WordPress plugin through version 0.0.4. The plugin exposes an action that executes on every request without verifying user capabilities or using nonce protection. Because this action is accessible to unauthenticated users, attackers can modify WordPress options arbitrarily, including enabling user registration and assigning the administrator role by default. This results in privilege escalation and complete control over the affected WordPress site.
Potential Impact
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges from an unauthenticated state to administrator level by manipulating WordPress options. This leads to full site takeover, compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the WordPress installation and its data.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, restrict access to the plugin's actions by disabling or removing the plugin, or applying custom access controls to prevent unauthenticated users from invoking the vulnerable action.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- WPScan
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-18T11:04:53.448Z
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a8699b9acd9273b49344188
Added to database: 08/20/2026, 06:07:53 UTC
Last enriched: 08/20/2026, 06:24:05 UTC
Last updated: 10/04/2026, 10:02:29 UTC
Views: 84
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
External Links
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.