CVE-2026-16269

Newsletters <= 4.15 - Unauthenticated API Authorization Bypass via Type Juggling

2026-08-03 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 4.16
Affected Plugin: Newsletters
Affected Version: <= 4.15
CVSS: 7.3High
Weakness type: CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
CVE: CVE-2026-16269

At a glance

CVE-2026-16269 is a high-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the Newsletters WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.15. 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; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2026, reported by Haitam Lazaar.

Vulnerability Overview

The Newsletters plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access due to an insufficient authorization check on the API endpoints in all versions up to, and including, 4.15. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to perform unauthorized newsletter related actions.

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-285: Improper Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Newsletters <= 4.15 takes no account at all. Improper authorization means a permission check exists but does not cover the case being exercised, so a caller who is allowed to do one thing is allowed to do a neighbouring thing as well.

A lower-privileged account performs an action reserved for a higher one, which on a multi-author or membership site means an ordinary user reaching administrative behaviour. For Newsletters the fix is 4.16: builds <= 4.15 are affected, anything from 4.16 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.16, 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: Newsletters 4.16 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16269 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/75e9a90d-ef24-425c-b8c5-f8bd16feb858 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16269

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Newsletters

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

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