CVE-2026-5617
Login as User <= 1.0.3 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via 'oclaup_original_admin' Cookie
Description
The Login as User plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.3. This is due to the handle_return_to_admin() function trusting a client-controlled cookie (oclaup_original_admin) to determine which user to authenticate as, without any server-side verification that the cookie value was legitimately set during an admin-initiated user switch. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to escalate their privileges to administrator by setting the oclaup_original_admin cookie to an administrator's user ID and triggering the "Return to Admin" functionality.
INFO
Published Date :
April 15, 2026, 9:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
April 22, 2026, 8:23 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-5617
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.
No affected product recoded yet
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update the Login as User plugin to version 1.0.4 or later.
- Remove the "oclaup_original_admin" cookie if present.
- Verify user roles and permissions after update.
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-2026-5617.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-5617 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-2026-5617
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-2026-5617 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-5617 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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New CVE Received by [email protected]
Apr. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description The Login as User plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.3. This is due to the handle_return_to_admin() function trusting a client-controlled cookie (oclaup_original_admin) to determine which user to authenticate as, without any server-side verification that the cookie value was legitimately set during an admin-initiated user switch. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to escalate their privileges to administrator by setting the oclaup_original_admin cookie to an administrator's user ID and triggering the "Return to Admin" functionality. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-639 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/one-click-login-as-user/tags/1.0.3/includes/class-login-handler.php#L45 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/one-click-login-as-user/tags/1.0.3/includes/class-login-handler.php#L50 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/one-click-login-as-user/trunk/includes/class-login-handler.php#L45 Added Reference https://wordpress.org/plugins/one-click-login-as-user/ Added Reference https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c0c74d48-6cfc-4899-bd2c-4a80b1f6e05f?source=cve