Description

Unauthenticated Broken Access Control in WP Sort Order <= 1.3.5 versions.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-18T14:17:02.327Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-18T14:17:02.327Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An unauthenticated broken access control vulnerability has been identified in the WP Sort Order plugin, affecting all versions up to and including version 1.3.5. This security flaw arises from a failure to properly validate user sessions and authorization checks within critical administrative functions exposed by the plugin. Consequently, remote, unauthenticated attackers can interact with vulnerable endpoints to manipulate data and settings without requiring any prior credentials or privileged access.\nThe risk implications of this vulnerability are severe, as successful exploitation allows malicious actors to alter plugin configurations and potentially influence content ordering mechanisms on affected WordPress sites. Because the attack vector requires no authentication, the barrier to entry is exceptionally low, enabling automated scanning and mass exploitation across the internet.\nOrganizations utilizing the WP Sort Order product face potential data integrity issues and unauthorized administrative state changes. Remediation requires immediate attention, primarily through applying official security patches provided by the vendor or temporarily disabling the affected component until secure updates can be deployed in the target environment.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the request handling architecture of the WP Sort Order plugin, specifically affecting versions <= 1.3.5. The root cause is the complete absence or improper implementation of access control checks, such as nonce verification and capability checks (e.g., current_user_can()), on sensitive functions responsible for processing sorting configurations and administrative updates.\nNetwork exposure is fully public, as the vulnerable endpoints are accessible over standard HTTP/HTTPS protocols via the WordPress AJAX or REST API handlers. Because authentication requirements are bypassed or entirely absent, any unauthenticated remote attacker can issue crafted HTTP GET or POST requests directly to the target URL.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: First, the attacker identifies the exposed endpoint associated with the WP Sort Order plugin. Second, the attacker crafts an unauthorized HTTP request containing specific parameters designed to modify the sorting order or administrative options managed by the plugin. Third, the vulnerable component processes the incoming payload without validating whether the sender possesses administrator or editor privileges. Finally, the application executes the requested state change, resulting in unauthorized data modification.\nThe privilege requirements for this attack are nonexistent; the execution context relies solely on the lack of server-side authorization enforcement. Post-exploitation impact includes unauthorized alteration of website content presentation, potential denial of service regarding content management functionalities, and secondary application logic interference depending on how the sorted data is utilized across the broader WordPress installation."
}