Missing Authorization in Advanced Forms Plugin

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-57378 is a high-priority Broken Access Control vulnerability in the WordPress Advanced Forms Plugin versions 1.9.3.7 and earlier.

The flaw occurs due to missing authorization checks, which allows unauthenticated users to perform privileged actions that should normally be restricted.

This means attackers can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to gain unauthorized access or perform actions without proper permissions.

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Detection Guidance

Detecting CVE-2026-57378 on your network or system involves checking for the presence of vulnerable versions of the WordPress Advanced Forms plugin (versions 1.9.3.7 and earlier) and monitoring for suspicious unauthenticated access attempts to privileged actions.

• Check the installed version of the Advanced Forms plugin on your WordPress site. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard, go to 'Plugins', and look for the Advanced Forms plugin. If the version is 1.9.3.7 or earlier, your site is vulnerable.
• Use WordPress CLI (WP-CLI) to check the plugin version from the command line. Run the following command: `wp plugin list --name=advanced-forms --fields=name,version`. If the version is 1.9.3.7 or earlier, take immediate action.
• Monitor web server logs for unusual unauthenticated requests targeting the Advanced Forms plugin endpoints. Look for patterns such as repeated access attempts to administrative functions without proper authentication tokens or headers.
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) or intrusion detection system (IDS) to detect and block exploitation attempts. Patchstack provides mitigation rules that can be applied to block attacks targeting this vulnerability.

If you are using Patchstack's services, ensure that their mitigation rules are enabled to protect against this vulnerability until you can update the plugin to version 1.9.3.8 or later.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability poses a significant risk because it allows attackers to perform privileged actions without authentication.

Such unauthorized access can lead to manipulation or compromise of website forms and data, potentially affecting thousands of websites in mass exploitation campaigns.

The high severity score (CVSS 7.5) reflects the potential impact and ease of exploitation, making it critical to update or mitigate immediately.

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Compliance Impact

The CVE-2026-57378 vulnerability, which involves missing authorization and broken access control, can have significant implications for compliance with standards and regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA.

• GDPR: Under GDPR, organizations must implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure data protection and privacy. A broken access control vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to personal data, violating GDPR's requirements for data confidentiality and integrity (Articles 5, 25, and 32). This may result in non-compliance, potential fines, and reputational damage.
• HIPAA: For organizations handling protected health information (PHI), HIPAA mandates strict access controls to ensure only authorized personnel can access sensitive data. This vulnerability could allow unauthorized access to PHI, leading to a breach of HIPAA's Security Rule (45 CFR Part 164, Subpart C), which requires safeguards for electronic PHI. Non-compliance may result in penalties and legal consequences.

Additionally, the vulnerability's alignment with OWASP Top 10's A1 classification for Broken Access Control underscores its critical nature, as many compliance frameworks (e.g., PCI DSS, ISO 27001) reference OWASP guidelines for secure application development and maintenance.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate the CVE-2026-57378 vulnerability, users should immediately update the WordPress Advanced Forms Plugin to version 1.9.3.8 or later.

If updating is not immediately possible, applying Patchstack's mitigation rule to block attacks targeting this vulnerability is advised.

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