CVE-2026-79996
Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

Privilege Escalation in User Registration & Membership WordPress Plugin

Publication date: 2026-08-28

Last updated on: 2026-08-28

Assigner: WPScan

Description
The User Registration & Membership WordPress plugin before 5.2.6 does not perform a capability check when saving its login settings, allowing authenticated users who have been granted a User Registration & Membership WordPress plugin before 5.2.6 management capability but not full administrator access to change arbitrary site options and escalate their privileges to administrator.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-28
Last Modified
2026-08-28
Generated
2026-09-17
AI Q&A
2026-08-28
EPSS Evaluated
2026-09-15
NVD
CVE-2026-79996
EUVD
EUVD-2026-67575

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
wpengine user_registration_and_membership 5.2.6

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-269 The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a privilege escalation issue in the User Registration & Membership WordPress plugin before version 5.2.6. It allows authenticated users with limited plugin management capabilities to change arbitrary site options and escalate their privileges to administrator level due to missing capability checks when saving login settings.

Detection Guidance

Check the installed version of the User Registration & Membership plugin in WordPress. If it is below 5.2.6, the system is vulnerable. Use commands like 'wp plugin list' in WordPress CLI or inspect the plugin files in the /wp-content/plugins/user-registration-and-membership/ directory.

Impact Analysis

If you use the affected plugin version, an attacker with basic user access could gain full administrator privileges. This could allow them to take control of your WordPress site, modify content, install malicious plugins, or steal sensitive data.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access and data breaches, violating compliance requirements under GDPR and HIPAA. Unauthorized privilege escalation may result in unauthorized data exposure, access, or modification, triggering regulatory penalties and legal consequences.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the User Registration & Membership plugin to version 5.2.6 or later immediately. Remove or restrict user roles with plugin management capabilities until the update is applied. Monitor for unauthorized privilege changes or suspicious activity.

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