CVE-2026-19598
Pods <= 3.3.9 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via Authorization Bypass to Admin Methods via 'pods_admin' AJAX Router
Description
The Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Authorization Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.9. The vulnerability exists because the pods_admin AJAX router funnels every access check — including the method allowlist, nonce verification, login enforcement, and capability gate — through pods_error(), which under the JSON meta-box-loader compatibility path only writes failures to the PHP error log and returns false instead of terminating the request, rendering all guards ineffective. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to escalate their privileges to Administrator or overwrite the password of any user account, including the site owner's, enabling complete site takeover, or perform another administrator action.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 20, 2026, 12:48 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | CRITICAL | MITRE-CVE | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | CRITICAL | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update the Pods plugin to the latest version.
- Verify plugin integrity after update.
- Monitor server error logs for suspicious activity.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-19598.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-19598 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-2026-19598
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-2026-19598 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
-
The Hacker News
Five Critical WordPress Plugin and Theme Flaws Enable Site Takeover or RCE
Multiple critical security flaws have been disclosed in WordPress plugins and themes, including WPMU DEV Dashboard, Avada, TranslatePress, Pods, and GiveWP, that could lead to authentication bypass, a ... Read more
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-19598 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.
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CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Aug. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-19598', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-08-17T15:49:11.035762Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Aug. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'sc0ttkclark', 'product': 'Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '2.8', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '2.8.23.3'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '2.9', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '2.9.19.3'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.0', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '3.0.10.3'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.1', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '3.1.4.1'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.2', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '3.2.8.2'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.3', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '3.3.9'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] Added Description The Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Authorization Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.9. The vulnerability exists because the pods_admin AJAX router funnels every access check — including the method allowlist, nonce verification, login enforcement, and capability gate — through pods_error(), which under the JSON meta-box-loader compatibility path only writes failures to the PHP error log and returns false instead of terminating the request, rendering all guards ineffective. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to escalate their privileges to Administrator or overwrite the password of any user account, including the site owner's, enabling complete site takeover, or perform another administrator action. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-863 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pods/tags/3.3.9/includes/general.php#L400 Added Reference https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3628032a-3121-45a7-8a78-cfcd8ba6af2f?source=cve