CVE-2026-42682 – Unauthenticated Broken Access Control – WordPress wpForo Forum Plugin ≤ 3.0.6
## Summary
**CVE-2026-42682** is a Missing Authorization (Broken Access Control) vulnerability in the WordPress wpForo Forum plugin, affecting all versions through 3.0.6. The flaw stems from a missing authorization check in a privileged function, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to execute higher-privilege actions without any credentials or user interaction. With a CVSS v3.1 base score of **9.1 (Critical)**, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to any internet-facing WordPress site running an affected version of the plugin.
### Technical details
– **Root cause**: A missing authorization, authentication, or nonce token check in a function that handles a privileged operation within the wpForo Forum plugin, allowing an unprivileged, unauthenticated user to invoke actions that should require elevated permissions.
– **Trigger conditions**: No authentication, account, or special configuration is required. The attack can be carried out remotely over the network with no user interaction and low complexity.
– **Attack vector**: Network-accessible; unauthenticated; no privileges required; no user interaction required; low attack complexity.
– **Impact**: High integrity impact — unauthenticated attackers can perform unauthorized modifications to forum content or settings; High availability impact — the vulnerability can be leveraged to disrupt forum service. No confidentiality impact is indicated.
### Affected software
– WordPress wpForo Forum Plugin, all versions from n/a through **3.0.6** (inclusive)
### Severity
– **CVSS v3.1 Base Score**: 9.1 (Critical)
– **Vector String**: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`
### Mitigation and recommended actions
– **Immediate**: Update the wpForo Forum plugin to version **3.0.7 or later**. Version 3.0.7 (released 23 April 2026) contains the security fix for this vulnerability; the current latest version is 3.1.1.
– If immediate patching is not possible, restrict public access to the WordPress site’s forum endpoints at the web application firewall or network perimeter level until the plugin can be updated.
## IONIX Status
The IONIX research team is tracking ongoing exploitation attempts and recommends immediate patching. Potentially affected assets are outlined in this post.
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