CVE-2026-18046

Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

Privilege Escalation in Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin

Publication date: 2026-08-12

Last updated on: 2026-08-26

Assigner: WPScan

Description

The Cookie Consent WordPress plugin before 0.0.10 does not correctly enforce its intended administrator-only capability check on the REST route that stores its geolocation service license key, so the route falls back to an authentication-only gate, allowing any authenticated user such as a subscriber to overwrite the stored key and disrupt the Cookie Consent WordPress plugin before 0.0.10's geolocation-based consent banner targeting.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-12

Last Modified

2026-08-26

Generated

2026-09-01

AI Q&A

2026-08-12

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-31

NVD

CVE-2026-18046

EUVD

EUVD-2026-57094

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
wp_cookie_consent	cookie_consent	to 0.0.10 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-863	The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Cookie Consent WordPress plugin before version 0.0.10 allows any authenticated user, including low-privilege subscribers, to modify the geolocation service license key via a REST route. The plugin fails to enforce proper administrator-only access controls, leading to unauthorized changes that could disrupt its geolocation-based consent banner functionality.

Detection Guidance

Check the installed version of the Cookie Consent WordPress plugin. If it is below 0.0.10, the system is vulnerable. Use commands like 'wp plugin list' in WordPress CLI or inspect the plugin files directly.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to change the geolocation service license key, disabling the plugin's ability to serve location-specific consent banners. This may result in incorrect consent prompts or failed compliance with privacy regulations for users in certain regions.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could undermine compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR by preventing proper geolocation-based consent management. Incorrect consent banners may lead to non-compliance with data protection requirements, though specific regulatory impacts depend on implementation.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Cookie Consent plugin to version 0.0.10 or later immediately. This fixes the authorization check issue and prevents unauthorized access to the geolocation service license key.

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