CVE-2026-85659

The PilotPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover in…

Risk score: 59/100
CVSS: 8.8 v3.1
Exploit chance (30 days): 0.4%
Published: 16 Oct 2026

Open in the live forecast Today's forecast

What to know

What it is: The PilotPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.43. The vulnerability exists because the update_cc_details() AJAX handler forwards an attacker-supplied username parameter to ONTRAPORT via api_call('update_cc_details', ...) before …
Affected: See advisory
Fix: Apply the vendor's security update; see the linked advisory.
Exploitation: No known exploitation

Why it is Yellow

CVSS 8.8 high

References

Original description

The PilotPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.43. The vulnerability exists because the `update_cc_details()` AJAX handler forwards an attacker-supplied `username` parameter to ONTRAPORT via `api_call('update_cc_details', ...)` before performing the local `username_exists()` collision check, and aborts without rolling back the remote rename when a collision is detected — leaving the remote ONTRAPORT contact renamed to an existing WordPress Administrator's login. On a subsequent login attempt, `user_login()` (hooked to `wp_authenticate`) authenticates against ONTRAPORT using the renamed login and the attacker's own password, resolves the local WordPress user row via `get_user_by('login', $username)` — which now selects the real Administrator's row — and calls `wp_set_password()` against that Administrator's user ID; because the `user_level != 10` guard only suppresses PilotPress's own cookie issuance rather than returning a `WP_Error` to core, WordPress proceeds to validate the newly-synchronized password and issues a full Administrator authentication cookie to the attacker. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above — specifically any PilotPress member holding a valid ONTRAPORT contact and the Customer Center nonce — to fully take over an Administrator account.

Last activity 16 Oct 2026. Patch Forecast updates every hour.