CVE-2026-15017

MDJM Event Management <= 1.7.8.4 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via 'set-permissions' and 'change_role' Handlers

2026-07-22 20:47
moonge

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.7.8.5
Affected Plugin
MDJM Event Management
Affected Version
<= 1.7.8.4
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE
CVE-2026-15017
View all MDJM Event Management vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-15017 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the MDJM Event Management WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.7.8.4. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.7.8.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2026, reported by moonge.

Vulnerability Overview

The MDJM Event Management plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.7.8.4. This is due to missing capability checks and nonce verification in the `MDJM_Permissions::set_permissions()` and `MDJM_Employee_Manager::init()` functions, combined with the absence of server-side allow-list validation on the `employee_roles[]` and `new_role` POST parameters before they are passed to `mdjm_set_employee_role()` and `WP_User::set_role()`. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to grant arbitrary MDJM capabilities — including `mdjm_employee` and `mdjm_employee_edit` — to any registered WordPress role, and subsequently leverage a subscriber-level account to escalate privileges to Administrator. `MDJM_Permissions::init()` is registered on the public WordPress `init` hook without any authentication gate, meaning the role-manipulation endpoint is reachable without any prior login.

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 interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management

MDJM Event Management <= 1.7.8.4 carries this weakness at set_permissions(), and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. 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 MDJM Event Management the fix is 1.7.8.5: builds <= 1.7.8.4 are affected, anything from 1.7.8.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.7.8.5, 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: MDJM Event Management 1.7.8.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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