7.5
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-109400
InstaWP Connect <= 0.1.4.1 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via Role-as-Capability Admin Page and API Key Disclosure via 'instawp_sync_tab_roles' Role-as-Capability Setting
Description

The InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.4.1 This is due to the plugin registering its admin page via `add_management_page()` using a role name returned by `InstaWP_Setting::get_allowed_role()` as the required capability — which WordPress resolves as a real capability match for any user holding that role — combined with `generate_section_field()` rendering the master API key from the `instawp_api_options` option directly as the `value` attribute of a plain-text HTML input with no additional `manage_options` or equivalent capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to read the plaintext master API key, use its SHA-256-derived secret as a bearer token accepted by the plugin's REST API `validate_api_request()`, and call `POST /wp-json/instawp-connect/v2/auto-login` to mint a 30-second single-use login URL that sets an administrator authentication cookie — fully escalating their privileges. Exploitation requires the site to be actively connected to InstaWP and an administrator to have added the attacker's role to the plugin's Sync Tab Access list (`instawp_sync_tab_roles`); notably, the settings tab suppression logic only hides the tab when `administrator` is absent from the list entirely, meaning a mixed configuration retaining administrator alongside a lower role still serves the full settings page — including the API key — to the lower-privileged user.

INFO

Published Date :

Oct. 16, 2026, 5:17 a.m.

Last Modified :

Oct. 16, 2026, 5:17 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-109400 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Instawp instawp_connect
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH MITRE-CVE
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update the InstaWP Connect plugin to patch privilege escalation vulnerability.
  • Update the InstaWP Connect plugin to the latest version.
  • Remove any non-administrator roles from Sync Tab Access list.
  • Review plugin access controls and permissions.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-109400 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-109400 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-109400 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-109400 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Oct. 16, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description The InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.4.1 This is due to the plugin registering its admin page via `add_management_page()` using a role name returned by `InstaWP_Setting::get_allowed_role()` as the required capability — which WordPress resolves as a real capability match for any user holding that role — combined with `generate_section_field()` rendering the master API key from the `instawp_api_options` option directly as the `value` attribute of a plain-text HTML input with no additional `manage_options` or equivalent capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to read the plaintext master API key, use its SHA-256-derived secret as a bearer token accepted by the plugin's REST API `validate_api_request()`, and call `POST /wp-json/instawp-connect/v2/auto-login` to mint a 30-second single-use login URL that sets an administrator authentication cookie — fully escalating their privileges. Exploitation requires the site to be actively connected to InstaWP and an administrator to have added the attacker's role to the plugin's Sync Tab Access list (`instawp_sync_tab_roles`); notably, the settings tab suppression logic only hides the tab when `administrator` is absent from the list entirely, meaning a mixed configuration retaining administrator alongside a lower role still serves the full settings page — including the API key — to the lower-privileged user.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-269
    Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/109xxx/CVE-2026-109400.json">CVE-2026-109400</a>
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/admin/class-instawp-admin.php#L153
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/apis/class-instawp-rest-api.php#L663
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-hooks.php#L194
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-setting.php#L186
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/class-instawp-setting.php#L91
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.1.4.1/includes/functions.php#L1041
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3743786/instawp-connect/trunk/includes/class-instawp-setting.php
    Added Reference https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/925b009e-3aeb-496d-8218-6ea5dc9d9989?source=cve
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.