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CVE-2026-16149 — The Security Hardener plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all…

Key facts

CVE-2026-16149 is a High (8.8) vulnerability: The Security Hardener plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.
CVE CVE-2026-16149
Severity High (8.8)
Detection / prevention —
PoC poc.py
Source 2026/CVE-2026-16149/

Details

English | 한국어

Description

The Security Hardener plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.4. The vulnerability exists because the plugin's user-enumeration protection, which is enabled by default, hooks the rest_endpoints filter via secure_user_endpoints() and overwrites every registered handler's permission_callback on both the /wp/v2/users and /wp/v2/users/(?P[\d]+) routes — including POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE handlers — with a bare closure that returns only is_user_logged_in(), completely stripping WordPress Core's original capability checks such as create_users, promote_user, edit_users, and delete_users that WP_REST_Users_Controller normally enforces. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to create new Administrator accounts by sending POST request to /wp/v2/users with administrator role, or to reset an existing Administrator's password by issuing a PUT/POST request to /wp/v2/users/. Because the block_user_enum option defaults to enabled, no special plugin configuration is required — the overwrite is active on every request as soon as the plugin is installed.

Vulnerability Details

Property Value
CVE ID CVE-2026-16149
Type RCE
CVSS Score 8.8

Proof of Concept

Download

# Download PoC script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fankh/vulnerability-poc/main/2026/CVE-2026-16149/poc.py

Usage

# Run PoC against target
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL>

# With authentication
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL> --username <USER> --password <PASS>

⚠️ Warning: This PoC is for authorized security testing only. It uses detection-only techniques and does not exploit or damage target systems.

Test Lab

This repository includes a Docker-based test environment with both vulnerable and patched applications.

Quick Start

# Clone and navigate to CVE directory
cd CVE-2026-16149

# Start both applications
docker-compose up -d

# Run tests
./run-tests.sh    # Linux/Mac
./run-tests.ps1   # Windows PowerShell

Application Endpoints

Application URL Status
Vulnerable App http://localhost:8080 Shows vulnerability
Patched App http://localhost:8081 Demonstrates fix

Directory Structure

├── README.md           # English documentation
├── README_KO.md        # Korean documentation
├── poc.py              # PoC detection script
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── run-tests.sh        # Linux/Mac test runner
├── run-tests.ps1       # Windows test runner
├── vulnerable-app/     # Vulnerable version
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── requirements.txt
└── patched-app/        # Fixed version
    ├── app.py
    ├── Dockerfile
    └── requirements.txt

References

  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/security-hardener/tags/2.4.4/security-hardener.php#L107
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/security-hardener/tags/2.4.4/security-hardener.php#L180
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/security-hardener/tags/2.4.4/security-hardener.php#L204
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/security-hardener/tags/2.4.4/security-hardener.php#L428
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/security-hardener/tags/2.4.4/security-hardener.php#L433
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/security-hardener/tags/2.4.4/security-hardener.php#L439
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3630896/security-hardener
  • https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/64f1a71f-e210-4191-bfb4-56f8568180ed?source=cve

Generated by PoC Generator on 2026-08-23T11:08:22.951662369

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-16149?

CVE-2026-16149 is a High (8.8) vulnerability: The Security Hardener plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.

How do I detect CVE-2026-16149?

Run the detection-only PoC included with this entry against your Docker test lab to confirm whether a target is affected; pair it with your own IDS logging.

How do I block or mitigate CVE-2026-16149?

Upgrade to a fixed version per the vendor advisory; the NVD record lists the affected versions. Use the included PoC to verify your remediation.

For authorized security testing and research only. See the full source and NVD record.