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CVE-2026-16610 – Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution – Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) Pro ≤ 8.9

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Summary

CVE-2026-16610 is a critical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in the Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) Pro plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 8.9.0. A publicly accessible save handler lacks authentication checks and passes attacker-controlled input into a PHP eval() call, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: The recursive_html function is reached through a save handler that is publicly accessible and lacks proper authentication checks. Repeater row keys are inserted directly into an eval() call without sanitization, enabling code injection via the cfgroup[input] parameter.
  • Trigger conditions: Exploitation requires the [post_cf_form] shortcode to be present on a publicly accessible page (a frontend post-creation form using a repeater field). CAPTCHA validation can be bypassed by omitting an attacker-supplied key.
  • Attack vector: Network; remote and unauthenticated (no privileges or user interaction required).
  • Impact: Arbitrary code execution on the underlying host, leading to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected software

  • Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) Pro — all versions up to and including 8.9.0.

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 base score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade to Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) Pro 8.9.1 (released 2026-07-27), which fixes the unauthenticated RCE in the Custom Field Groups feature.
  • If no patch can be applied: Remove any [post_cf_form] shortcode from publicly accessible pages, particularly frontend post-creation forms using repeater fields, and restrict public access to those pages until the update is installed.

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 HTTP response body: /wp-content/plugins/admin-site-enhancements-pro/

References

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How IONIX’s External Exposure Management Platform Detects and Validates
Zero-Days to Shrink MTTR

1

Map your entire attack surface (continously)

IONIX uses multi-factor discovery methods, including DNS analysis, certificate mapping, metadata inspection, and more, to automatically map every internet-facing asset across your environment. This includes cloud instances, third-party platforms, shadow IT, and even forgotten infrastructure that traditional tools miss.

2

Monitor for new CVEs

Dozens of threat intel feeds using agentic technology are continuously analyzed to detect the appearance of proof-of-concept code, exploit kits, and indicators of active targeting. IONIX goes further by applying AI to proactively evaluate whether emerging vulnerabilities are likely to be exploited, even before PoCs go public.

3

Identify Potential External Exposures

Not all CVEs matter. IONIX filters vulnerabilities by asking attacker-centric questions: Can it be reached from the internet? Does it require authentication? Is it being exploited in the wild? This dramatically reduces noise and focuses teams on threats that can actually be weaponized.

4

Create Safe, Scalable Exploit Validations

IONIX transforms real-world PoCs into safe, non-intrusive test payloads that can be run in production environments without disruption. These simulations are precisely targeted to the systems that are vulnerable, ensuring rapid validation without unnecessary load.

5

Execute Exploit Validations

By combining context about software stack, versioning, exposure status, and reachability, IONIX ensures that only the right payloads are executed against the right assets, maximizing efficiency and minimizing risk.

6

Drive Fast and Actionable Remediation

Results are routed through integrations with ticketing, SOAR, and SIEM tools. Issues are written in plain language, bundled into remediation clusters, and prioritized based on asset criticality, exploitability, and blast radius. This shortens mean time to remediation (MTTR) and empowers teams to act with confidence.

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  • Mapping of all Assets with this Technology
  • Identification of potentially exposed assets to this CVE
  • Confirmation of verified exploitable assets
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