Summary
CVE-2026-16030 is an improper authentication vulnerability (CWE-287) in the MStore API WordPress plugin in versions prior to 4.21.0. The plugin does not correctly verify the cryptographic signature of the token used for phone-based login, allowing an unauthenticated attacker who knows a registered user’s phone number to forge a token and take over that account, including administrator accounts. It carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1.
Technical details
- Root cause: The cryptographic signature of the token used for phone-based login is not correctly verified.
- Trigger conditions: An attacker needs only knowledge of a registered user’s phone number; no prior authentication or user interaction is required.
- Attack vector: Network — the flaw is reachable remotely against the plugin’s phone-login authentication flow.
- Impact: Token forgery leads to full account takeover of the targeted user, including administrator accounts, resulting in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress site.
Affected software
- MStore API WordPress plugin: all versions before 4.21.0.
Severity
- CVSS v3.1 base score: 8.1 (HIGH)
- Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Mitigation and recommended actions
- Immediate: Update the MStore API plugin to version 4.21.0 or later, where the token signature is verified correctly.
- If no patch can be applied yet: Restrict network access to the plugin’s phone-based login authentication endpoints and monitor for anomalous phone-login activity and unexpected privilege changes on administrator accounts.
How IONIX identifies potentially affected assets
IONIX matches the following signals against data already collected when it crawled the asset; identifying the technology sends no request beyond that crawl.
- Raw response body:
/wp-content/plugins/mstore-api/

