CVE-2026-32379
Missing Authorization in Rara Academic Plugin Allows Unauthorized Access
Publication date: 2026-03-13
Last updated on: 2026-03-16
Assigner: Patchstack
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| raratheme | rara_academic | to 1.2.2 (inc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-862 | The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
CVE-2026-32379 is a Broken Access Control vulnerability in the WordPress Rara Academic Theme versions up to and including 1.2.2.
The issue arises from missing authorization, authentication, or nonce token checks within certain functions, which allows unauthenticated users to perform actions that should be restricted to higher-privileged users.
This means that attackers do not need to be logged in to exploit the vulnerability.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
Exploitation of this vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to perform privileged actions within the Rara Academic theme.
However, the vulnerability has a CVSS severity score of 5.3, indicating a low priority and low impact threat.
Patchstack emphasizes that exploitation is unlikely to have significant impact.
Users are advised to update to version 1.2.3 of the theme to mitigate the risk.
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
I don't know
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'This vulnerability arises from missing authorization, authentication, or nonce token checks within certain functions of the Rara Academic WordPress theme up to version 1.2.2. Detection involves identifying if your system is running the affected theme version and checking for unauthorized access attempts.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'You can detect the vulnerability by verifying the installed theme version and monitoring for suspicious HTTP requests that attempt to perform privileged actions without authentication.'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Check the installed theme version via WordPress dashboard or by running: wp theme list | grep rara-academic'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': "Search web server logs for unusual requests targeting theme functions, for example using grep: grep -i 'rara-academic' /var/log/apache2/access.log"}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Use curl or similar tools to test access to theme endpoints without authentication to see if actions can be performed.'}] [1]
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
The primary mitigation step is to update the Rara Academic WordPress theme to version 1.2.3 or later, where this vulnerability has been patched.
Since the vulnerability allows unauthenticated users to perform privileged actions, applying the patch promptly is critical to prevent exploitation.
- Update the theme via WordPress dashboard or by running: wp theme update rara-academic
- If immediate update is not possible, restrict access to theme-related endpoints using web server rules or firewall to limit unauthenticated requests.
- Monitor logs for suspicious activity and consider temporarily disabling the theme if exploitation attempts are detected.