Smart Popup by Supsystic <= 1.12.0 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation to Administrator
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.13.0
- Affected Plugin
- Smart Popup by Supsystic
- Affected Version
<= 1.12.0- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
- CVE
CVE-2026-18322
At a glance
CVE-2026-18322 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the Smart Popup by Supsystic WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.12.0. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.13.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2026, reported by daroo.
Vulnerability Overview
The Smart Popup by Supsystic plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.12.0. This is due to a permission map collision in the `havePermissions()` function in `classes/frame.php`, where `array_merge()` overwrites the popup module's administrator-restricted method list with the base controller's value, silently removing `save` from protected actions; this is compounded by the subscription confirmation email embedding the same generic `pps_nonce` that the unauthenticated `wp_ajax_nopriv_save` endpoint accepts, and by the complete absence of any server-side role allowlist in `createWpSubscriber()`. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to submit a crafted POST request to `admin-ajax.php` using a nonce obtained from a public subscription confirmation email, setting `params[tpl][sub_wp_create_user_role]` to `administrator` via the exposed `popupControllerPps::save()` action, and then triggering the stored confirmation flow to create a persistent WordPress Administrator account with attacker-chosen credentials.
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
Smart Popup by Supsystic <= 1.12.0 carries this weakness at havePermissions(), and reaching it 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 Smart Popup by Supsystic the fix is 1.13.0: builds <= 1.12.0 are affected, anything from 1.13.0 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.13.0, or a newer patched version
How WordSec helps
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: Smart Popup by Supsystic 1.13.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Smart Popup by Supsystic
- 9.1CVE-2024-52434: Popup by Supsystic <= 1.10.29 Remote Code Execution
CVE-2024-52434 - 8.8CVE-2016-10915: Popup by Supsystic < 1.7.9 Cross-Site Request Forgery
CVE-2016-10915 - 7.1CVE-2023-3186: Popup by Supsystic <= 1.10.18 Prototype Pollution
CVE-2023-3186 - 6.3CVE-2023-39997: Popup by Supsystic <= 1.10.19 CSRF
CVE-2023-39997 - 6.1CVE-2021-24275: Popup by Supsystic <= 1.10.4 Reflected XSS
CVE-2021-24275 - 5.3CVE-2022-0424: Popup by Supsystic <= 1.10.8 Info Disclosure
CVE-2022-0424 - 4.3CVE-2024-31421: Popup by Supsystic <= 1.10.27 Missing Authorization
CVE-2024-31421 - 4.3CVE-2023-46197: Popup by Supsystic <= 1.10.19 Info Exposure
CVE-2023-46197
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