CVE-2026-81278

Post SMTP – Complete Email Deliverability and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 4.0.0-beta.1 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Settings Change

2026-08-26 00:00
mad4cyber

At a glance

CVE-2026-81278 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Post SMTP WordPress plugin, affecting versions 4.0.0-beta.1. It carries a CVSS score of 6.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 4.0.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2026, reported by mad4cyber.

Vulnerability Overview

The Post SMTP – Complete Email Deliverability and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access due to a missing capability check on a function in version 4.0.0-beta.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update 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 interaction from a victim user.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Post SMTP 4.0.0-beta.1 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 Post SMTP the fix is 4.0.1: builds 4.0.0-beta.1 are affected, anything from 4.0.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.0.1, 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: Post SMTP 4.0.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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