CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-118267NVD status: Deferred

WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables…: Incorrect Authorization

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-118267 is a high-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps from Peterschulznl, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps versions: 5.5.89 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 1.62% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 76% of scored CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
PeterschulznlWP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps5.5.89 and earlierNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (wordfence.com).

Official description

The WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Incorrect Authorization leading to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 5.5.89 This is due to the plugin's write endpoints (`wpda/app/update`, `wpda/app/delete`, `wpda/app/insert`) passing the attacker-supplied `key` and `val` parameters directly to `$wpdadb->update`, `$wpdadb->delete`, and `$wpdadb->insert` without enforcing the container's row-filter (`defaultWhere`) or per-column allow-list (`isSelected`) restrictions that are correctly applied on the read endpoints. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to write to arbitrary rows and columns outside the configured restrictions — including overwriting the `user_pass` field of the WordPress administrator account in `wp_users` — and subsequently authenticate as the administrator, achieving full site takeover. Exploitation requires an administrator to have published a Data App that enables write transactions (update, delete, or insert) for Subscriber-level or anonymous users, which is an explicitly advertised use-case of the plugin. Exploitation by unauthenticated attackers requires that the administrator has published a Data App whose rest_api.authorization is 'anonymous' and whose container has transactions.update (or delete/insert) enabled. On a default installation, where that is not configured, the vulnerability requires attackers with subscriber-level access and above.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Incorrect Authorization

The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
  • Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records. For example, a database may restrict access for medical records to a specific database user, but each record might only be intended to be accessible to the patient and the patient's doctor.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature.

More Incorrect Authorization vulnerabilities (CWE-863)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).

References

Recent Incorrect Authorization vulnerabilities

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