CVE-2026-85530

GiveWP <= 4.16.8.0 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation

2026-09-14 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 4.16.8.1
Affected Plugin: GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform
Affected Version: <= 4.16.8.0
CVSS: 7.3High
Weakness type: CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE: CVE-2026-85530

View all GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-85530 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the GiveWP WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.16.8.0. It carries a CVSS score of 7.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 4.16.8.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2026, reported by Jakub Herman.

Vulnerability Overview

The GiveWP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.16.8.0. This is due to insufficient restriction on the capabilities a user may grant themselves. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to elevate their privileges beyond those intended for their role.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management

Reaching this weakness in GiveWP <= 4.16.8.0 takes no account at all. Improper privilege management means the code lets an account end up with capabilities its role should not have.

It converts a low-privileged account into an administrative one, which makes every other restriction on the site irrelevant. For GiveWP the fix is 4.16.8.1: builds <= 4.16.8.0 are affected, anything from 4.16.8.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.16.8.1, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

This one needs no account at all, which puts it outside what login hardening can reach; WordSec's login security narrows the account-level paths around it, and the firewall is what inspects the request itself. None of that substitutes for the fix: GiveWP 4.16.8.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-85530 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f3d597c3-fec9-4dda-a539-0df1d9358a15 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85530

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform

CVSS Vector

7.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityLow

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/