Privilege Escalation in WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin) (CVE-2026-15992)
Summary
Vulnerability in WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin) (CVE-2026-15992). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. Exploitable via Module_Password_Hint.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
The WP Password Policy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to and including 3.7.1. This is due to missing authorization checks and nonce verification in the get_user() function of the Module_Password_Hint class, which unconditionally calls WP_User::set_role() with the attacker-supplied role parameter on any account resolved via $_POST['user_login'], without confirming the requesting user holds the capability to assign roles. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to escalate their own privileges to Administrator by submitting a crafted POST request — with action set to createuser and role set to administrator — to the password-reset form endpoint. The vulnerable code path is reachable via the password_hint filter hooked during the WordPress password-reset form render, meaning an attacker need only possess a valid password-reset cookie to reach the sink.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-15992 has been found in WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin).
Attackers can target a specific entry point like Module_Password_Hint over the network to misuse the product.
Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. CVSS score: 8.8/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin) CVE-2026-15992" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-15992 (WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin)) — CWE-269 / CVSS v3 8.8
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / no user interaction
Attack surface: Module_Password_Hint / role / action / createuser
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (CWE-269) exists in WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin). Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via Module_Password_Hint.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin). Attack surface: Module_Password_Hint / role / action / createuser.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.8/10). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
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1Identify exposure identify
Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで WP Password Policy (WordPress plugin) を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。
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2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
References
- web security@wordfence.com
- web security@wordfence.com
- web security@wordfence.com
- web nvd.nist.gov
- web github.com