ExactMetrics <= 9.1.2 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Missing Authorization to Google Ads Access Token Retrieval via AJAX Action 'exactmetrics_ads_get_token'
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 9.1.3
- Affected Version
<= 9.1.2- CVSS
- 5.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2026-5488
At a glance
CVE-2026-5488 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the ExactMetrics WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 9.1.2. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 9.1.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2026, reported by Dmitrii Ignatyev.
Vulnerability Overview
The ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in versions up to and including 9.1.2. This is due to missing capability checks in the get_ads_access_token() and reset_experience() AJAX handlers. While the mi-admin-nonce is localized on all admin pages (including profile.php which subscribers can access), and while other similar AJAX endpoints in the same class properly check for the exactmetrics_save_settings capability, these two endpoints only verify the nonce. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to retrieve valid Google Ads access tokens and reset Google Ads integration settings.
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-862: Missing Authorization
ExactMetrics <= 9.1.2 carries this weakness at get_ads_access_token(), and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.
Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For ExactMetrics the fix is 9.1.3: builds <= 9.1.2 are affected, anything from 9.1.3 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 9.1.3, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: ExactMetrics 9.1.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin)
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