CVE-2026-9018: Easy Elements for Elementor (WordPress plugin) · Improper Privilege Management
Affects Easy Elements for Elementor (WordPress plugin)Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 53% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 May 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
Public exploit code: GitHub proofs of concept
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), GitHub proofs of concept, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| themewantEasy Elements for Elementor – Addons & Website Templates | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is released, administrators should consider disabling user registration on the affected WordPress site if it is not required. Additionally, removing or restricting access to the Login/Register widget that exposes the `easy_elements_nonce` can reduce the attack surface. Monitoring for plugin updates from themewant is recommended to apply any forthcoming official patches promptly.
Description
The Easy Elements for Elementor – Addons & Website Templates plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.5 via the `easyel_handle_register()` function. This is due to the `wp_ajax_nopriv_eel_register` AJAX handler iterating the attacker-controlled `custom_meta` POST array and writing every supplied key-value pair to the newly created user's meta via `update_user_meta()` without any key whitelist or blocklist, allowing the `wp_capabilities` user meta key to be overwritten after `wp_insert_user()` has already assigned a safe role. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register a new account with full administrator-level privileges by supplying `custom_meta[wp_capabilities][administrator]=1`. Exploitation requires that user registration is enabled on the site and that at least one page exposes the Login/Register widget, which publishes the required `easy_elements_nonce` into the page DOM where it can be retrieved by any unauthenticated visitor via a simple GET request.
References
- wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f1de4899-532a-4558-bff0-f4610bfdd49d?source=cve (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/easy-elements/tags/1.4.5/widgets/login-register/class.login-register.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/easy-elements/tags/1.4.5/widgets/login-register/class.login-register.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/easy-elements/tags/1.4.5/widgets/login-register/class.login-register.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/easy-elements/tags/1.4.5/includes/Utils/Enqueue.php (opens in a new tab)