Simpler Checkout < 1.5.4 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.5.4
- Affected Plugin
- Simpler Checkout
- Affected Version
< 1.5.4- CVSS
- 6.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
- CVE
CVE-2026-121870
At a glance
CVE-2026-121870 is a medium-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the Simpler Checkout WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 1.5.4. 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 1.5.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2026, reported by Naoki Kawahigashi.
Vulnerability Overview
The Simpler Checkout plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to 1.5.4. This is due to insufficient restriction on the capabilities a user may grant themselves. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to elevate their privileges beyond those intended for their role.
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-269: Improper Privilege Management
Reaching this weakness in Simpler Checkout < 1.5.4 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 Simpler Checkout the fix is 1.5.4: builds < 1.5.4 are affected, anything from 1.5.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.5.4, 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: Simpler Checkout 1.5.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Simpler Checkout
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