CVE-2026-15992

WP Password Policy <= 3.7.1 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation

2026-07-27 19:12
zickzick2

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.7.2
Affected Version
<= 3.7.1
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE
CVE-2026-15992
View all Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-15992 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the Teydea Login Security WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.7.1. 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 3.7.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2026, reported by zickzick2.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP Password Policy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to and including 3.7.1. This is due to missing authorization checks and nonce verification in the `get_user()` function of the `Module_Password_Hint` class, which unconditionally calls `WP_User::set_role()` with the attacker-supplied `role` parameter on any account resolved via `$_POST['user_login']`, without confirming the requesting user holds the capability to assign roles. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to escalate their own privileges to Administrator by submitting a crafted POST request — with `action` set to `createuser` and `role` set to `administrator` — to the password-reset form endpoint. The vulnerable code path is reachable via the `password_hint` filter hooked during the WordPress password-reset form render, meaning an attacker need only possess a valid password-reset cookie to reach the sink.

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

Teydea Login Security <= 3.7.1 carries this weakness at user_login, 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 Teydea Login Security the fix is 3.7.2: builds <= 3.7.1 are affected, anything from 3.7.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.7.2, 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: Teydea Login Security 3.7.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

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