Description

Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Brainstorm Force SureForms allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. This issue affects SureForms: from n/a through 2.12.5.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "5.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-03T17:17:31.097Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-03T17:17:31.097Z",
  "executiveSummary": "The SureForms plugin for WordPress contains a critical authorization bypass vulnerability stemming from the use of user-controlled keys for access control decisions.\nThis flaw allows unauthorized actors to circumvent established security constraints, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or administrative actions depending on the specific implementation of the incorrectly configured access control levels.\nThe vulnerability affects all versions of SureForms from n/a through 2.12.5.\nThe risk is categorized as high because it permits attackers to manipulate authorization logic without requiring higher-level privileges, effectively bypassing the security boundary intended to restrict access to sensitive functions or form data.\nSuccessful exploitation requires the attacker to identify and manipulate the specific user-controlled key parameters that the plugin relies on to validate user permissions.\nThe impact includes the potential compromise of data integrity and confidentiality managed by the SureForms plugin, as access controls can be effectively negated by providing manipulated input during the request lifecycle.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is classified as an Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key, where the application incorrectly trusts input parameters to determine whether a requestor has sufficient privileges to perform an action.\nThe root cause lies in the improper implementation of access control checks within the SureForms backend logic. Rather than performing a robust server-side validation against a secure session or user role object, the plugin relies on a client-supplied key or parameter to verify authorization.\nIn a standard attack flow, an attacker observes the HTTP requests generated by the SureForms plugin during administrative or form-management tasks. By identifying the specific key or parameter responsible for access verification, the attacker can systematically modify this input in subsequent requests.\nBecause the server-side code fails to re-validate the user's role against the database or a hardened authentication service, it incorrectly assumes the user-supplied key is a trusted indicator of authorization. This allows a low-privileged user or an unauthenticated visitor to interact with sensitive functions intended only for administrators or authorized form editors.\nThe vulnerability is present in versions n/a through 2.12.5. The affected component is the internal access control mechanism responsible for managing permissions for SureForms-related operations.\nExploitation does not necessarily require brute-forcing credentials, as the vulnerability is an inherent flaw in the logic of the access control layer. By bypassing this layer, an attacker can invoke backend functions, potentially resulting in unauthorized form submissions, modification of form configurations, or the extraction of collected form data.\nPost-exploitation, an attacker gains elevated capabilities that are not justified by their account context. The lack of server-side state verification for the user-controlled key facilitates this privilege escalation, effectively rendering the plugin's native security levels non-existent for an adversary who understands the key structure.\nThis issue exposes the application's internal functions to public network exposure, as the lack of robust authentication-to-authorization mapping bypasses the typical perimeter defenses provided by WordPress's core permission system."
}