8.8
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-6456
Account Switcher <= 1.0.2 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Authentication Bypass to Privilege Escalation
Description

The Account Switcher plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.2. This is due to the `rememberLogin` REST API endpoint using a loose comparison (`!=` instead of `!==`) for secret validation at `app/RestAPI.php:111`, combined with no validation that the secret is non-empty. When a target user has never used the "Remember me" feature, their `asSecret` user meta does not exist, causing `get_user_meta()` to return an empty string. An attacker can send an empty `secret` parameter, which passes the comparison (`'' != ''` is `false`), and the endpoint then calls `wp_set_auth_cookie()` for the target user. Additionally, all REST routes use `permission_callback => '__return_true'` with no capability checks. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to switch to any user account including Administrator, ultimately granting themselves full administrative privileges.

INFO

Published Date :

May 20, 2026, 2:16 a.m.

Last Modified :

May 20, 2026, 2:16 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-6456 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
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 [email protected]
Solution
Update the Account Switcher plugin to a version that addresses authentication and secret validation vulnerabilities.
  • Update the Account Switcher plugin.
  • Verify secret validation logic.
  • Implement strict comparison for secrets.
  • Add capability checks to REST routes.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-6456 is associated with the following CWEs:

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-2026-6456 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-6456 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]

    May. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description The Account Switcher plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.2. This is due to the `rememberLogin` REST API endpoint using a loose comparison (`!=` instead of `!==`) for secret validation at `app/RestAPI.php:111`, combined with no validation that the secret is non-empty. When a target user has never used the "Remember me" feature, their `asSecret` user meta does not exist, causing `get_user_meta()` to return an empty string. An attacker can send an empty `secret` parameter, which passes the comparison (`'' != ''` is `false`), and the endpoint then calls `wp_set_auth_cookie()` for the target user. Additionally, all REST routes use `permission_callback => '__return_true'` with no capability checks. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to switch to any user account including Administrator, ultimately granting themselves full administrative privileges.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-287
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-switcher/tags/1.0.2/app/PluginHero/BaseAPI.php#L54
    Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-switcher/tags/1.0.2/app/RestAPI.php#L111
    Added Reference https://wordpress.org/plugins/account-switcher/
    Added Reference https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/9e9cfb9b-6951-4246-9cd6-dd64fee3a1bc?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.